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April 18

Rush Tour?

When will the Canadian band Rush tour again?

65.10.49.190 00:47, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Never, I hope. That lady that sings for Rush needs some nasal decongestant. Erik the Rude 01:20, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think contacting the band's official website is your best bet here. If they don't say, it's unlikely Wikipedians know the answer. - 131.211.210.12 10:49, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Kendo - Bogu Components - Is there a shoulder covering?

I have what I believed to be a vintage (circa 1928) Kendo bogu. In trying to describe it to sell on eBay, I ran into an impasse. I read all the wiki articles and looked at as many pictures as I could on the net in general, concerning the components of the bogu. Missing from all this information is a description, or the name of, an article I have which looks like a shoulder protector.

My questions: Is there a shoulder covering of any kind in Kendo? If so, what does it look like?

I have pictures of this item but this is my first time using Wikipedia so I don't know how to upload an image with this question. If someone knows, i'd appreciate their informing me of the procedure. Although I read the help on this I was confused. I've never even logged onto commons once so it seemed difficult.

I hope this is in keeping with the scope and mission of Wikipedia. I think it's a wonderful return to humanity after the web went commercial. Thank you for your help and participation.

Justfranc 02:15, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Washington post

Have anyone have Wasington post? In their website, I saw that the print area is 12 inches. But they have not given the width of the page. Can anyone measure the width and tell me? I want the width of the paper and not the print area in inches. help.

Hesy-ra's mastaba

I've been having trouble finding out about the current condition of Hesy-ra's mastaba. I read that there were murals found when it was first excavated and I'm curious if they are still there. I know this is a weird question but does any body have any more information? KeeganB where is it located is it 3rd Dynasty (Hatch)

The first ever statistician

Dear Wikipedia,

I am compiling a report on worldwide statistics and would like to start with a preamble on the history of statistics. I am having problems finding answers to a couple of questions on the net and would like to ask you if you know:

1. Who was the first ever statistician? 2. Who was the first ever statistician to compile statistics on a worldwide basis?

I would be really grateful if you could help me here. Best mona

It sounds to me like you are not asking about the history of statistics but the history of demographics or vital statistics or something like that (the "history of statistics" is a history of a scientific discipline; the "history of vital statistics" is a history of data collection). If I recall, the use of vital statistics goes back at least to the 18th century, and were seen as key indicators about a nation's health and population. Ted Porter's The Rise of Statistical Thinking might be a good book to find, it has a lot about the early days of the use of statistics (the original "science of the state"). If you look at our article on Statistics it has a very short historical section though I don't think it is very good, in my opinion. But it might be enough for your purposes. --Fastfission 13:09, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Matthew says there was a census in Palestine just when Jesus was to come. So Herod the Great is a good start. --DLL 19:59, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Domesday Book was also a rather thorough early census of England. StuRat 20:35, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Eh, both of those examples strike me as "going to early, finding something unrelated but aesthetically similar to the later function and labeling it as that". Statistics in the "science of the state" sense doesn't really take its meaning until the 18th century, from what I understand. --Fastfission 02:02, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The first use of statistics I'm aware of was an investigation into the correlation between incidences of disease (I believe TB though I may be wrong) and types of water source in a town in England. I think it was in the 18th c. Sorry I don't have any more info. AllanHainey 15:00, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'd have to say that the first statistician ever was Adam. He took a look around and saw nobody else and must have concluded that the population of the world was 1.

Donald Rumsfeld - Education

Can you answer the following questions regarding U.S.A Secretary of Defense?

Your entry on Mr. Rumsfeld mentions the following: "attended Princeton University on academic and NROTC scholarships (BA, 1954) where he was an accomplished amateur wrestler. While at Princeton, he was roommates with Frank Carlucci. In 1957, after a stint in the Navy, he attended and subsequently dropped out of Georgetown University Law Center (1957)."

However, there is no mention of him recieving any degrees from the aforementioned institutions.

Do you have further information pertaining to degrees he holds? 207.132.224.131 12:32, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"(BA, 1954)" means he received a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton in 1954. He apparently did not receive a degree from Georgetown (hence the "dropped out"). --Fastfission 12:58, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Origin of "If a tree falls..."?

What is the origin behind the expression, "If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?" Thank you.

You mean "If a tree falls in the woods, and there is noone there to hear it, does it make a sound?". That's George Berkeley, in one way or another. I've seen it attributed to him, although I'm not so sure about the truth of that. It does, however, echo his thoughts. I'd be a little surprized if it predated him. I've also seen it credited as a Zen koan, although I'm equally doubtful about that too. --BluePlatypus 13:09, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I thought it was: "If a tree falls in the woods, and if there is no one to hear it, do the other trees laugh?" Jonathan ^talk File:Canada flag 300.png 06:05, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If a tree falls in the forest, and it hits a mime, does anyone care? Black Carrot 01:44, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Martha Bernays' letters to S. Freud

Hi, I would be most grateful if you could tell if and where Martha Bernays' letters to Freud are published. I realise that Freud's are widely available, but it is the responses that I am interested in.

Thanks Very much

I don't think they have been published; those which exist are in the Freud papers in the Library of Congress (see http://www.loc.gov/rr/mss/text/freud.html#corsf). --Fastfission 01:56, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Kennedy assassination

Robert Croft, standing on the south curb of Elm Street, took a photo of President Kennedy at Zapruder frame 160. The book Pictures of the Pain says he then took a photo of the President at the moment of the fatal shot. Where is that latter photo?

Same question, same Lincoln memorial ? --DLL 20:06, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Art and architecture

Sir/Madam I have to make a term paper on the topic Art and Architecture.I have been on the look out for articles regarding the questions raised in this topic.I wanted some questions which deeply concern the topic like what comes first in architecture,form or function?and many more.. Please if could help me out on this topic as i have been searching and reading for many days and still couldn't find a satisfying question,something which really compels us to think on the topic. Thank you Sumanyu Talwar

That seems like a perfectly decent question to me. Of course, any answer will be opinion, not factual, but that's true of pretty much any question on this subject. StuRat 20:28, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

To what degree do the anti-decorative movements in art have analogs in anti-decorative movements in architecture?
Art has "mimesis" as one of its goals, according to Aristotle. What is architecture's equivalent of mimesis?
Pick any historical movement in architecture and discuss how contemporaneous art movements reflect the same or different goals?
Modernism is a reaction, in Europe and America, to the miseries of World War I. How did movements reflect the terrors of World War II?

There are others. Just think historically. Geogre 23:37, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Burial Location

Is there any idea where Zimbabwe's Canaan banana is buried. It appears he was in south africa at the time of his death.–––206.251.5.179

According to this site he was in London at the time of his death, but the body was flown to Zimbabwe. this site says "full military honors would be according Banana at a ceremony at his birthplace, Esigodini, outside the western provincial capital of Bulawayo" DJ Clayworth 17:54, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Here's another reference to his burial at his family home. Googling "Canaan banana" burial brings up lots of references. --Halcatalyst 18:11, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Poison

I asked this question on the science reference desk but no one answered. Maybe no one knows anything about the humanities atall there. It seemed like a Science question to me, but whatever. What I was wondering if there is actually a poison like that used by Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (i.e. made like dead for several hours: cold to the touch, pale, etc., then you wake up). Thanks. schyler 20:54, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The reason no one answered was because you stuck it on the end of another question. Most people probably didn't even see it. —Keenan Pepper 02:56, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It could be opium. It wouldn't be belladonna, because belladonna is an anticholinergic, and anticholinergics cause body temperature to rise. Most likely, it was a poison created with the right characteristics to advance the plot properly. Erik the Rude 23:31, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well if it says poison question in the heading then people would probably wonder why it was titled that when I only asked about a sotware program. It clearly stated in the title that there were two questions. schyler 03:19, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I believe the poison used in voodoo, which is extracted from the puffer fish, has such an effect. In the proper quantity, it can also cause the victim brain damage, but leave them alive and highly susceptible to suggestion, hence called zombies. StuRat 05:35, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Correction: the puffer fish extract isn't what causes the brain damage, that's another component of the potion. The puffer fish extract does cause the state that appears to be death, however. StuRat 21:57, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ooooh, tetrodotoxin. Good answer. —Keenan Pepper 00:39, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Confirmation of Reverend Paisely's death.

Is the Wikipedia death notice Ian Paisley, Union Democratice leader, correct or a mistake or prank?

It appears to have been a prank; it was corrected within half an hour. Melchoir 22:06, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

April 19

Cambodia - UN Peacekeeping in the 1990s

I'm trying to find information about Cambodia under the rule of Pol Pot, however it's hard to find anything dealing with a peacekeeping mission that I know the UN sent, but are not sure of any keywords, or where to start.

Basic questions that I'm trying to answer are as follows:

Why did soldiers go on a mission to this region? What country or countries participated?

Try starting here: List of UN peacekeeping missions? --Rhakith

Tonight's "American Idol"

At the end of her song (or after Ryan's comments; I can't remember now) Katherine McPhee leaned over, into the shot, and mouthed something. What was it? --zenohockey 02:14, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It looked to me like she was asking Randy what he had said, because the response from the audience was so loud. User:Zoe|^(talk) 01:22, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I think that's correct, especially in view of her having said thereafter that she was having a difficult time hearing. The one time when one wants to hear the judges' comments is when he/she has done well, and, of course, that's the time the applause is often deafening and rather long. Joe 20:05, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Common-law Marriage in Guatemala

I have tried may other websites but have no luck. Anyone who lives in Guatemala would answer this question without any difficulty, and I really appreciate.

Does Guatemala recognize common-law marriage? Is it a common practice?

Thank you.

Actually, I don't think you should assume that just because people live in a country, that they will know this. For instance in England there is no such thing in law, but a great many people talk as if there is. In Scotland it still sort of exists (uniquely in Europe), and I doubt one US citizen in a thousand could correctly tell you that common law marriage is recognised only in the states of Alabama, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, New Hampshire (posthumously), Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah. See common law marriage, which does not answer your question directly, but complicates it a good deal. Notinasnaid 08:08, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the answer. However, it just like you said; it complicates the matter or the question, and it does not help.

I know it won´t help you, but it is recognized in Brazil. In fact, here, common-law marriage grants the same rights than regular marriage.

source of quotation

Can anyone tell me the source of the quotation "If you love something set it free...if it comes back it is truly yours"? Richardrj 09:21, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's from a television show called Daria. See the excerpt at Wikiquote. --Halcatalyst 15:24, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, but are you sure that was the first time it was used? That sounds like a use of the phrase as a quotation to me. --Richardrj 15:35, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Considering it was the basis for a song by Sting 15 years before that show first aired, I seriously doubt it. Grutness...wha? 01:56, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I heard it long before that show was produced, but I can't remember where. DJ Clayworth 17:50, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Origin seems very unclear:

This says it’s by Alison Willcocks; but here Alison Willcocks herself says it’s an ancient Chinese proverb, and gives a complete version.

This says it’s by Richard Bach, from ‘’Jonathon Livingston Seagull’’.

This provides 6 versions, depending on what/whom it is you’re setting free. JackofOz 01:13, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think Americans and Brits and Irish got it from Jonathan Livingston Seagull. That's old enough, popular enough, and part of the whole "let's read Zen and the IChing and Khalil Gibran" thing that went on around 1971-1974. Geogre 11:50, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ah yes, I remember it well. Not to mention sea-grass matting on every apartment floor, and Desiderata on every wall. JackofOz 14:49, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ethinicity of Indians

hi there. Does anybody know what is the Ethinicity of Indians and Pakistanis like Hispanics, Caucasians etc

This is a complicated issue. The simple answer to your question is "Asian". But some people would argue that your question is really about race, not ethnicity. The two terms are not necessarily interchangeable. The concept of ethnicity is rooted in the idea of social groups, marked especially by shared nationality, tribal affiliation, religious faith, shared language, or cultural and traditional origins and backgrounds, whereas race is rooted in the idea of a biological classification of human beings according to certain traits. In this sense Hispanic is an ethnic grouping rather than a racial one. And the term Caucasian is falling into disuse, replaced by White or White European. Richardrj 09:43, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Racially, most Indians and Pakistanis are Caucasian/White (which only means that they look more like Europeans and North Africans than like East Asians), unless you count Indian as a race of its own. Their skin color varies from very dark to very light, so skin color doesn't really help to clarify the issue. Ethnically, Pakistanis and Indians are all kinds of things -- many different peoples live in these two countries. Some of the largest ethnicities are Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and Tamil. Chl 00:49, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

memoir about life in Cold War Eastern Europe?

hello, I would love to read a non-fiction memoir about life in Eastern Europe or the Soviet Union during the Cold War, perhaps describing how ordinary people lived under state repression and observation (1984-type stuff). Is there such a book? --Richardrj 15:41, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Cool, but which languages can you read? Biographies about non-notable people tend not to be translated to English. I can only recommend this autobiography by a Polish electrician, amazon.com. Thuresson 21:14, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

While not strictly non-fiction memoirs, some of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's works are brilliant, widely available, and at least semi-autobiographical. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is probably a good intro; it's shorter than some of his others, and is based on his time imprisoned in a work camp. The Cancer Ward is based on his subsequent battle with cancer. I'm sure you've guessed, but I should note that they aren't exactly pick-me-up books or "beach reading". --ByeByeBaby 23:17, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Who are these men?

Can somebody please help me, can anybody identify the 2 men in these pictures?

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/8901/tb13wy.jpg

http://img106.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tb32py.jpg

I know the images are somewhere here on wikipedia I just can't locate them.

The first one is Ken Lay. [1] David Sneek 17:54, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for that Mr Sneek, need the other now.

Isn`t the second one to do with music?

Biblical Character

Which biblical character is depicted here. I know the guy made a prophecy or something but not sure.

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/479/tb52bt.jpg

That would almost certainly be Ezekiel, prophecying in the 'valley of the dry bones'. DJ Clayworth 17:44, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Does Iran Have Oil Refineries?

A few minutes ago, Rush Limbaugh said,"Iran has no oil refineries. Did you know that Iran has to export its oil to get refined even though they're nuking up?"

Is he right? Does this mean that even after 1951 when Iran nationalized oil with the help of Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh, it still has no refineries and it that technologically backwards?Patchouli 16:58, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, far from it. [2]. [3] [4]. That's at least nine, and I think Qeshm Island is open too. Iran also has a large petrochemicals and plastics industry.

The lesson here is "Don't believe Rush." (Rush is Reich) For more on his distortions and fabrications, there are numerous websites, with FAIR being the best of them. Geogre 17:38, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They're not technologically backwards either. They've got universities and scientists just like most other countries. While not perhaps at the absolute global top level, they're certainly doing a lot better than most of their neighbors. (And it's a well-known fact there are a huge number of Iranian blogs) --BluePlatypus 17:58, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Buliding

My friend has challenged me to find the name of this building which he apparently has been to can you guys help .

http://img46.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tb25xj.jpg

What are you going to win by identifying all these pictures? --LarryMac 20:35, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

General Knowledge plus bragging rights. I thought you could ask any question you like here?

I didn't say you couldn't ask, I was just curious, and in turn I asked a question. --LarryMac 20:54, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You don't have much bragging rights if you didn't find the answer yourself. --BluePlatypus 04:40, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No problem Mate I think it`s a church if thats any help.

Dont regognise it but from its Style I,d say its probably in Spain Or some other meditranion Nation and dates fraom the 1700-1800

Thanks anyway mate I have 3 of 5 Questions I need to answer would still like even a thought on the pic of the guy I posted earlier the second one.

You might tag it "old church". Such search in googleimage shows Brussel's in the first row, and it looks quite the same. So : Spain, Flanders or South America ? --193.56.241.75 12:38, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A Middle Ages mystery

I recently remembered something I once read in a book of unexplained events and strange happenings that I got out from the library many years ago when I was a child. It concerned a child or young teenager in the Middle Ages, possibly in Germany if I recall correctly, who was discovered well-dressed wandering the streets of a city one day, unable to speak or communicate in any way aside from being able to write his name. He was evidently taken in by the authorities and eventually taught and read and speak, and explained that for his entire life that he could remember he had been kept in confinement in a tiny box / cellar of some sort, until the day when he was taken out and left in the city. Does this ring any bells with anybody? I wanted to look it up again but cannot remember what the child's name was supposed to have been. I think he was eventually supposed to have been murdered, or something odd certainly became of him. Angmering 20:51, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Kaspar Hauser. --BluePlatypus 20:57, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Blimey, that was quick! Cheers! Angmering 21:03, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's a pretty famous case, but there were other wild children as well. I think the Kaspar Hauser article discusses it, but, if not, there are books on the wild children (most of whom were not wild, in truth, but abused). Geogre 22:15, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Need origin of Phrase

Does any one know where the phrase "Peace though superier firepower" comes from?

My friend thought that it might be a qote from General Patton, but I was unable to locate any information one way or the other.

--Kd7jit 22:18, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Peace Through Superior Firepower... quoted from nowhere? --Halcatalyst 00:50, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank You. idk. Where it apeared first would even be helpful. It seems to be a popular phrase, my grandparents have even used it to describe the Cold War. idk if it orginated there or was a later phase used to describe history.

--Kd7jit 02:06, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'd suspect it derives from "if you want peace, prepare for war" (I'm paraphrasing) by Tacitus. AllanHainey 15:03, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I Think thats a Patton quote but I dont have any sources.

Patton said: "Superior firepower is an invaluable tool when entering negotiations", but apparently not the exact phrase you're after. It does seem amazingly elusive. Some websites credit Star Trek: The Next Generation. JackofOz 01:42, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Let him who desires peace, prepare for war" (Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum) was by Flavius Vegetius Renatus in Epitoma rei Militaris. This is sometimes rendered as "If you want peace, prepare for war", back-translated as "Si vis pacem, para bellum" and misattributed to Tacitus. JackofOz 01:42, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank You. What would I do with out Wikipedia? IMHO this wiki is a meeting place for inteligent people, those who are willing to share and those who are dilligently seeking. --Kd7jit

Where is Holbrach, Russia?

I have been attempting some genealogical research and found my grandparent's immigration info(date sailed, ship name. etc.) on the Ellis Island site which states that my grandmother left Europe in 1915 from Holbrach, Russia. I have tried to find Holbrach on old maps and through researching many sites but without luck. My grandmother spoke Polish and I was told that her family came from Eastern, Poland near Bialystok. Please let me know where Holbrach, Russia is located. Is there another name? Thanks, George Predko

"Holbrach" sounds like a German or Yiddish variant of a city name. I had no luck using the JewishGen ShtetlSeeker. I would try looking for answers on the BIALYGen mailing list, which specializes in Bialystok-area genealogy. Even if your family isn't Jewish, they may be able to help you out. -- Mwalcoff 23:51, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm pretty sure "Holbrach" is Holowach/Holowacz/Golowach/Golovach (note the Polish "cz" is like the English and German "ch" sounds). It seems to be a small place just a little bit east (or east-south-east) of Grodno/Hrodna which is in current-day Belarus. It's given as "Holowaczyn" (another variant) on this map. Grodno is near the Polish border, about 50 miles from Białystok. In 1915 it would've been part of the Russian Empire, the part that was invaded by Germany in WWI. Unfortunately, I can't give you the present-day name because at the moment, I can't seem to find a good enough map of the Hrodna area. --BluePlatypus 00:37, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

northern ireland

What is the official flower of Northern Ireland?

You could take a look at our article on Northern Ireland, which includes this information in the infobox.-gadfium 23:45, 19 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What is the name of this fake tribe?

For a school project for my law class, I chose a subject that I thought would find easily, but I am drawing several blanks. For the life of me, I cannot remember anything that would be helpful for search terms on Wikipedia. Basically, I am looking for the name of a 'Stone Age' era tribe that was located in the southeastern part of Asia (I can't even remember the country) in the 70's. One politician invited journalists and scientists to their remote jungle home to study them. Even National Geographic had them on the cover of one of their issues. It turns out that all of the "cave men" were actually poor local natives payed to act as primitive people. The politician had used it as a way to make money. If anyone could give me just the name of the tribe, the politician, or even the country, I would be very grateful. Then I can research it myself. Thank you in advance.

Tasaday, and you can argue forever if they are fake or not, because there is no evidence either way. Chl 00:22, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wow, thanks for the quick response! That was exactly what I needed, although I'm not sure if this can qualify for a project since it seems to be disputed on whether it was a hoax or not. Oh dear, time to think of another topic.

April 20

National Fiscal Accounting and Increase in the Money Supply

Every year the government comes out with a budget. If the amount of revenue (taxes) is more than the amount of expenditures, there is a surplus. If the amount of revenue is less than expenditures, there is a deficit. If the two are equal, the budget is balanced. Seems simple enough.

But it also has to be remembered that the government "prints" and puts into circulation (i.e. spends) a certain amount of money each year to keep up with the expansion of the economy. How is this money accounted for on the country's books?

For example, if the government raises $99 billion in taxes, and prints an extra billion dollars, and then spends $100 billion, is it running a balanced budget or is it considered to have a $1 billion deficit? I'd especially appreciate an answer from an expert economist, but anyone else can weigh in as they see fit. Loomis51 01:23, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You want to take a look at seigniorage (our article could be better). Seigniorage is the profit a country makes by printing money. Most countries make some seigniorage. I think the US profits about a billion dollars or so a year. Printing too much causes currency values to decline, inflation, and the mess of problems that come from bad monetary policy. Italy used to use seigniorage extensively. Some have attributed the fall of the Roman Empire to seigniorage. For the most part, a country paying small amounts of debt with extra currency won't have a major impact, so it's an oppurtunity for a little bit of free money.--Bkwillwm 01:45, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, BK. I wasn't aware of the term. However I understand that printing money must be done in a very diciplined way. I'm aware that many countries, for some reason, didn't understand this and simply printed money whenever they needed more to spend. Of course this leads, as you said, to a mess of problems, like hyperinflation. But thanks for the link, I wasn't aware there was an actual term for it! Loomis51 03:41, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Germans = Scandinavians?

Did the (what we know now as) German tribes come from from Scandinavia originally? (Norway and Sweden, mainly.) Thanks. -Bjornson

Mostly Denmark and Sweden, rather. (See: Proto-Germanic) Although northern Germany is also a candidate. The Goths in particular most likely originated in southern present-day Sweden (and Gotland), though. --BluePlatypus 02:18, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

So.. according to the map it was in modern day Norway/Sweden/Denmark that "Germans" came from- Sorry, but can I have a more direct answer to my question? A Yes or No- i'd heard Germans and Scandinavians were/are the same people, and "Germans" came from Scandinavia, but I was just making sure... again, a yes or no, please. - Bjornson.

There's no simple "Yes and no" answer to be had here. Ethnicity is not a strongly defined concept. But for most definitions of the word: No, Germans and Scandinavians are not the same people. Nor are Scandinavians all one people. Danes consider themselves to be Danes, Germans consider themselves to be Germans, and so on. They don't have the same language or culture either. You could say that they once were the same people, but that's just how we look at it. We have no clue as to whether they considered themselves to be one people or not. "Germanic" does not mean the same thing as "German". The Viking-Age people of Scandinavia never considered themselves to be one people, even when they did have largely the same language and culture. The "Swedes" were not one people back then either, they considered themselves to be either Geats (Götar) or Suiones (Svear). --BluePlatypus 05:57, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What happened to the "list of top selling female artists" page?

There used to be a page discussing the top selling female music artists - it's gone now. Does anyone know what happened to it? Thank you... PatrickJ83 04:33, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think I saw it on AFD. Try the deletion log and see if it's listed there. Special:Log Do you have the exact title? - 131.211.210.15 08:01, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It was a disgrace to the project, but Best-selling female singer had almost 700 edits before it was killed. :) Henry ^Flower 12:37, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. PatrickJ83 23:19, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Canadian Question Period viewing

Is there a place online to watch the Prime Minister's Question Period in Canada? Specifically the entirety of this and previous week's periods as is available for the UK Parliament at both C-SPAN and Number 10 Downing Street? All I can find is an audio only podcast on the CPAC site and some clips on CTV's site, but not the full period on video from the current or previous week. Thanks EdwinHJ | Talk 06:12, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Origin of Buddhism and Jainism

What led to the rise of the religions Buddhism and Jainism?

Have you read our articles on Buddhism and Jainism? If, after reading them, you still have specific questions, feel free to ask again! — QuantumEleven | (talk) 07:42, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism, the oldest religion.Patchouli 10:40, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, that is the Hindu view. Buddhists see it very differently! It's an old argument, which I don't want to prolong. Just wanted to note there is another side to all that. 18:37, 23 April 2006 (UTC)

Changing parenting w.r.t. working parents . Effect on Advertising

Hi

This is in regards to some help that I need As i am studying the changing needs of childern and the changing aspects of parenting due to the change in parenting (as in when both the parents are working) .. What effect does this have on advertising. This is related to 0-12 years kids .. not for the teenagers.

I would really appreciate if you can send me some whitepapers on the same or maybe send me some links where i can read about the subject (related to India IF possible, Other studies are also welcome). I am doing my Management post graduation and this is one of my areas where i need to do a project on , But i need to know more anout the same and would really Appreciate any help possible .

Thanks and Regards Rahul Sharma

It's all good news for advertisers. Kids left alone means more objectionable TV ads can be shown without the parents turning off the TV. And more guilt and disposable income from two working parents means they are more likely to buy all the crap that's pushed on their kids. StuRat 20:13, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why Is Exxon Seen as a Bad Guy by Americans?

Why is it that so many Americans have such adverse reactions regarding the success of their largest corporation, Exxon. Isn't is the main goal of a corporation to generate profits? Sure, if there is evidence of foolplay, procecute, otherwise, shouldn't people of a free nation be proud of their successful corporations? After all, BP, Shell, PetroCanada, to name a few, are regarded with admiration within their respective country. Why not the same with Exxon?--JLdesAlpins 10:56, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

First that comes to my mind is the oil spill in Alaska. Maybe a more recent reason is the gas prices soaring in the wake of Katrina. We were tolled the prices would go down after everything settled down, but personally I haven't seen a difference since after the hurricane season. schyler 12:29, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, naming your ships after your company if there's a chance they could cause the deaths of cute animals is a Bad Idea. There's also an awareness that Exxon is a major donor to the present administration, so there may be politics involved.

More generally, I think a lot of people's acceptance of capitalism is less whole-hearted than the rhetoric spouted by free-marketeers, particularly in the USA, would suggest. The system may be perceived as OK, even the "right" one, but a lot of people dislike any one individual or group doing too well (especially if there's a perception that this is at the expense of some obvious fluffy Good Thing, like the environment) -- it's one thing to think the rules are fair, it's another not to feel a bit resentful when the same team keeps winning every year. Or the converse: complaining about the "worst" examples of companies benefitting under capitalism provides a safety valve for people's more general feelings about the iniquities of a system that they're unwilling to actually see changed even if deep down they think it should be. (I certainly think that I fall into the latter category with my rather pointless participation in the boycott against Nestle, which boils down for me to refusing to eat Kit Kats and fruit pastilles.)

And finally, are you sure that BP, Shell, etc. are admired within their respective countries? The petrochemical industry in general is widely viewed as a big problem. (I live in Britain; BP are spending vast amounts on advertising to rebrand themselves as "beyond petroleum" in a "we're looking to the future" way and it's not doing them a vast amount of good.) --Bth 12:45, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It is a bit of a stretch to assume the Bush administration has any responsibility for the public attitude toward any oil company. Oil companies donated to Clinton (and every administration before him) because they are huge and pay off everyone in government. Also, Arkansas has a strong oil industry. So, a governor from Arkansas could also be seen as an "oil-President". Of course, Americans could be dumb enough to think that the oil companies have been suffering for decades, waiting for some idiot from Texas to become President so they could pay him off. Personally, I think that most Americans are smart enough to realize that all of the Presidents have been corrupted by the oil companies (and the auto industry, and the medical industry, and the insurance industry...) --Kainaw ^(talk) 01:34, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There are a variety of critiques. You might want to read up on them before deciding that it is all irrational or jealousy or whatever. There was recently a pretty detailed criticism of Exxon in the New York Times by Paul Krugman (a mirror of it is at http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2006/04/paul_krugman_en.html). His argument is that Exxon's profits in particular are based on the fact that it is one of the worst polluters on the planet, worse than other petrochemical companies. --Fastfission 13:13, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As a dutchman i can tell you that Royal Dutch/Shell (In majority a dutch corp.) is not universally loved here, mostly on enviromental issues (like the current nigeria problems) and complaining about gas prices / profit (For reference, 1 liter of gas currently costs around E 1.40 here, with an exchange rate of E/$ of 1.2 and about 4l/gallon that makes about $5.7/gallon, yay for government taxes) SanderJK 14:00, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As a Canadian, I wouldn't exactly say that PetroCanada is regarded with admiration, so much as acceptance. Okay, they were the 24th most respected company last year, but that's a survey of CEOs who are weighting their votes heavily towards financial and management matters, which the average citizen ignores. As far as Exxon goes, perhaps part of the issue is simply excess? Gas is considered a necessary expense by most Americans, rather than some sort of luxury product, so Exxon making more profit than any other company ever is viewed less like back when "what was good for General Motors was good for America" and more like discovering that your water utility company was making billions of dollars off of you. Another excess issue is the recent $400 million retirement package given to it's chairman; the largest ever, every penny coming from gas prices that are currently higher than ever. Despite the fact that socialism doesn't really sell as a political movement in America, I wonder if perhaps some of the discontent comes from the realization (on an internal level) that if Exxon's 36 billion in profits is equivalent to roughly 27 cents on every gallon sold (regardless of where it's bought) [5]. --ByeByeBaby 15:40, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Many people in the US feel that we should move away from a petroleum based economy, as it will lead to endless wars and supply disruptions and shortages. However, since Dick Cheney, in conjunction with companies like Exxon, seems to have adopted an energy policy in secret meetings which is pro-oil and anti-everything else, this leads to a great deal of resentment against Exxon (and Cheney and Bush). And, of course, Exxon making record profits off consumers who are hurting (due to the high prices) doesn't make them very popular, either. StuRat 08:35, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, nobody really know what economy should replace the oil-economy yet. Hydrogen is neither economic nor practical - ethanol would just make us reliant on other countries... If it is to change it will be the idealists who do it - the fat cats won't move on it untill it can turn a profit. But rest assured, then they most certainly will move on it. Gardar Rurak 05:24, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The concept that we should rely primarily on any single source of energy is fundamentally flawed, leaving us vulnerable to supply disruptions. Using an as wide as possible spread among all the different sources of energy would be the safest way to go. If you combine all the other sources of energy (nuclear fission, hydroelectric, solar, tidal, wave, geothermal, natural gas, ethanol, methanol, coal, wood, wind, etc.), we have more than sufficient energy sources to make up for petroleum. Of course, some, such as coal and wood, are heavy polluters, so should probably be limited for that reason. Some of these energy sources aren't appropriate for cars (although some nuts actually built a nuclear powered car once), but they could be used in place of other petroleum uses, like replacing fuel oil for heating homes. StuRat 19:58, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Gimp for sale?

I know it is illegal, but does anyone know where I can buy a gimp? Are most gimps well trained enough so that they do not have to be shackled all the time?

I don't understand, you want to buy a GNU Image Manipulation Program?--152.163.100.72 00:25, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Please see Wikipedia:Reference desk/Stupid questions. Marskell 16:15, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is this question about human slavery?? —Keenan Pepper 16:41, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wal-Mart. They do a pair for $39.95. 172.213.101.202 19:55, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, maybe that's a clever reference to a DiscWorld series by Terry Pratchet? If so, according to the book, you can get gimps on the Counterweight continent. As you can see, every question has its answer, however stupid. --Jinxs 19:14, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Where did all the Animorph books go?

I thought they stopped printing them a while ago so they're all disappearing. Does this mean that eventually there will be no more left? Jonathan ^talk File:Canada flag 300.png 17:33, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In general, yes: when a publisher decides not to print any more copies of a book, it goes "out of print" and can no longer be purchased new. The publisher (or sometimes the author) retains the rights, and can choose to do this: nobody else can publish copies (until at least 70 years have passed). Books can become very rare and expensive. However, for those who can afford it, books can be purchased second hand from many places. Mass-market books rarely become expensive or rare. http://www.abebooks.com/ lists over 5000 of them. Notinasnaid 22:10, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Where are all the Moonbeam movies?

And is the same thing happening to all these Moonbeam Entertainment movies? I saw previews of some of them and they looked pretty cool but I can't find them anywhere. Jonathan ^talk File:Canada flag 300.png 17:39, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The same thing applies, though you have to look elsewhere to find used DVD/VHS copies. If a film is released to the cinema and never makes it to DVD, you may have nothing but memories, however. Notinasnaid 22:11, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, that explains why I can't find any of these movies. They probably never got onto DVD. Jonathan ^talk File:Canada flag 300.png 06:01, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Tax Deductions I didn't ask for

I live in the US. So a couple of days ago, I go to Jackson Hewitt to get my taxes done. My past experience with H&R Block and other Jackson Hewitt franchises is that they ask you a bunch of questions and they go through the whole process of filling in all those spaces in the computer and a half hour later, taxes done. This time, though, was completely different. I go in, and in less than five minutes the guy had my taxes done. He asked me the basic stuff essentially three questions (job, dependants, age) before blasting through everything very non-chalantly. When he was done, he informed me what my refund would be, and it ended up being more than twice what I usually get. He asked if it was more than usual, I said yes, and he chuckled and said, "I know" as the taxes were e-filed. Not thinking tooo much about it, I get home, grab some lunch, and start flipping through all the paperwork this guy gave me. I get to the itemized deduction page, and am wogboggled. Keep in mind, he never asked, and I never said, a single deduction. Listed on the paperwork are deductions including thousands of dollars in charity donations (I give to charity, but nowhere near as much listed), and thousands and thousands of dollars in business expenses, and although I did accrue some business expenses, I never really kept track of them, and they weren't near what this guy put down.

SO... if I am audited, am I responsible for all of this, or the tax preparer. The ethical obligations with which I am still wrestling aside, do I have a legal obligation to inform the government of this possible inpropriety?

-Signed, Irving Robert "Eiben Scrood" Schulmann

This is not the place for reliable legal advice, however ... you signed the return, you are responsible (e-filed or not, there is a signature somewhere). Jackson-Hewitt will probably say the return was prepared based on the information you provided (regardless of the truth of the matter). If I were you, I'd contact the manager of that office and get things straightened out immediately. Calling the IRS would not be incorrect. --LarryMac 20:00, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It sounds like you've gotten lucky, keep the name of the guy & get him to do your taxes evey year. I'm not a lawyer but statistically the chances of being audited are low & if you have a good defence, such as that the Jackson Hewitt guy did your taxes (& presumably his methods will be verifiable as he'll be doing the same for everyone) & you just sent it in without checking it you're unlikely to be liable for anything more than the taxes you would've paid anyway. Of course this assumes that you have no moral problems with depriving your government of the money they decide that you owe them. AllanHainey 12:33, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Remember to send AllanHainey a postcard from jail. The obvious first thing to remember is that the man who made your return is clearly not averse to lying. If questioned he will say that you gave him the information that he entered on the form, which means that you will be under suspicion of defrauding the government. The best case scenario there is that your tax return will be flagged for a very detailed audit every year for a long time to come. If you really claimed things that are completely untrue (as opposed to just being vague about some numbers) then prosecution for fraud is certainly a possibility. DJ Clayworth 17:08, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Planet Orbits

On diagrams and pictures, all the planets seem to orbit on one level plane (with the exception of Pluto). Is this correct? Why do all the planets roughly orbit the sun on the same plane? I thought the effects of gravity worked on all planes.

Sorry, posted in the wrong section*

People are trying to understand why there is an orbital plane, why, generally, systems resolve into disks. At least that's what I read at Astronomy Picture of the Day. One of the things planetary scientists are investigating with Saturn is this tendency to move toward an equatorial plane. Geogre 21:03, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The unusual inclination of Pluto's orbit is noted in Pluto#Orbit. Gravity does indeed work on all planets, but the Sun is (virtually) a sphere, and extends its gravitational effects equally in all directions, not just along the ecliptic. If two different planets' orbits are inclined by 17 degrees relative to each other, I don't think gravity would tend to tilt the orbits to bring them into conformity. JamesMLane t c 01:29, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You're right that there is no inherent reason why the planets couldn't all orbit in different planes; the reason probably has to do with the way the solar system was formed. Our solar system initially existed as the solar nebula, a large rotating cloud of gas (and dust). Then, around 4.6 billion years ago, it began to contract (there is some evidence this may be due to a nearby supernova). As it continued contracting, it flattened toward a disk due to inertia ("centrifugal force"), the same forces that cause the Earth to bulge at its equator. The disc broke into rings which condensed into the planets; that's why they're all in the same plane and orbit in the same direction. For the same reason, the moons of a planet tend to be in the same plane as well. For instance, most of Saturn's moons orbit roughly in the same plane (which is the same plane as that of the rings—a shame, really; you couldn't really appreciate the beauty of the rings even though Saturn would be right in your sky). Of course, moons acquired from other sources don't follow the same patterns. I discussed the briefly at History of Earth#Origin; you may also enjoy "Solar System Modeling", part of the excellent Cosmic Evolution from Tufts University. — Knowledge Seeker দ 02:00, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sadat

Was Sadat black?

Well, to be precise, as the article says, he was half Egyptian and half Sudanese. Sudan is a big mix of black African and Arab people. I can't come to any conclusions from that; I'd guess, though, that he'd identify himself as an Egyptian above all else. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 22:51, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sadat was indeed very dark, and some would call him "black". That doesn't necessarily make him negroid, but that wasn't the question. JackofOz 23:01, 20 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

April 21

Starving Yorkshire terrier

Can we have an article on the animal tragedy, 204 Yorkshire terrier puppies and 37 cats found after the death of their owner. The name of the owner is in the news too, is the article name the name of the owner, or the name of the tragedy? (Here is a search for news articles [6]) Bib 00:57, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Although this is perhaps not the best place at which to discuss the issue, I am inclined to think that neither the event nor the owner is sufficiently notable; at the very least, on the disposition of the question of notability here would turn the disposition of sundry other prospective articles—in my home state (Wisconsin) alone, there have been two similar cases, each involving more than 200 "pets", in the past four months. If you think the event to be notable in view of the enumerated guidelines and not to be inconsistent with What Wikipedia is not, you might be best advised to create a stub about the event, after which it is likely a deletion debate (toward the eduction of a consensus view) would ensue. Joe 03:38, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If this happened recently, perhaps a Wikinews article would be more appropriate. StuRat 08:19, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

U. S. House of Representatives--New Term Starting Dates

Do all of the states have the same starting date (for a two year term of office) for newly elected candidates for the United States House of Representatives? What is the next exact term starting date or dates for the next elected Representatives from the state of California? Thank you in advance. ~~Bob W. 20 April 2006

Representatives elected in the regular elections (November of each even-numbered year) take office at the beginning of the following January, regardless of which state they're from. (I think the exact date is the first business day in January. If so, Representatives elected this fall will be sworn in on January 2, 2007.) Aside from the November election, a few Representatives are chosen in special elections to fill vacancies; they don't need to wait until the next January. JamesMLane t c 01:49, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the quick response, and your good answer, James. ~~Bob W. 21 April 2006

Missa Luba

What is the Missa Luba? (If... (film) says that the single piece of music that repeats in the film comes from the Missa Luba.) zafiroblue05 | Talk 03:31, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I can't give you chapter and verse, but it's a piece of religious choral music combining European classical and African traditional styles, written by Father Guido Haazen, who was an African missionary somewhere like Congo DR (or Belgian Congo as it was then). I've heard of two versions, one by a Congolese choir called something like the Roi Baudouin Choir, and another version performed by a choir from Kenya (Muunganu Choir, I think). It's only one part of the piece that's heard in the film (the Sanctus, I think), as the full Missa Luba is a long work wih several movements. Grutness...wha? 09:08, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bible on Wealth

John Meacham said on 16 April 2006 that "they forget that the Bible also is calling every 50 years for a redistribution of wealth." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12283802/page/4/

I am not knowledgeable about the Bible. So I would like to know whether he made this up or not? If he is correct, where in the Bible can this be found?Patchouli 04:06, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think the answer to that is: Sort of, but not really. See Jubilee (Biblical) for what really happened every fifty years. zafiroblue05 | Talk 04:10, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Vacation for US Legislators

Do US Representatives and Senators go on a formal vacation every year? Or can they go to vacations separately whenever they choose to? I don't think that they write laws 365 days/year. Also, is their office closed on weekends?Patchouli 04:15, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They have set recess periods, during which they can go on vacation anywhere they want (except Cuba and a few other places) or just stay home. They could also take a vacation when not in recess, but voters tend to take a dim view of such behaviour, unless they pretend it's a "fact finding mission". Then again, I bet many wish they were on vacation when they voted to authorize the Iraq War. They can keep their offices open on the weekends if they want, it's up to each one. StuRat 08:14, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They tend to use their "recesses" for fundraising. They tend to use their vacations for fundraising, too, and they generally use their fact finding missions for fundraising, too. This is when they're not in Washington and fundraising. According to numerous Congressmen, raising campaign funds takes more time than congressional business. Were there public financing of elections and a prohibition against using any private or donated wealth, that might end all of this, keep the congresscritters in town, and have them less likely to build in loopholes and ear marks, but, of course, such a thing would need the incumbents to vote for it, and incumbents are re-elected at a staggering rate and don't like giving up power, even if they hate the fundraising. Geogre 10:42, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

historical or mythical name translation from french/italian to english

HI

Trying various search engines to locate a translation of historical and mythical names from French/Italian to English I have found no luck. So I came here, having heard of it before, but wow, I am overwhelmed by the info provided and unfortunately have no clue as to how I can solve such a problem here. One of the names is, Charès (French) or Carete (Italian) which I believe to be a Greek or Phoenician name. How (or where) can I find a name such as this in its English form?

Thank you

Are we talking about the architect of the Colossus of Rhodes? He's known as Chares of Lindos in English, fr:Charès de Lindos in French, and it:Carete di Lindos in Italian (though the Italian Colossus article seems to use Chares.) --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 14:39, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Prohibition of non-muslims in Mecca

Althought it is a well-known fact that non-muslims are not allowed to enter Mecca ,the penalty for this isn't.Is there any provision for this in the Saudi law-code or in local tradition?Is it considered a serious crime that deserves severe punishment(execution or lengthy impisonement) or a minor offence punished with let's say a fine?

Thank you Padem 08:46, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Someone asked this on Google Answers and got some excellent responses. It seems to be that the death penalty is a possibility, however there is no set punishment. The intruder is arrested and detained, and the case is reviewed by a Shari'a judge who decides the penalty. --Canley 09:31, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Richard Francis Burton managed to travel to Mecca in disguise and get out again, but he was lucky. User:Zoe|^(talk) 02:53, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Nowadays it'd probably be easier to do than in Burtons day as there are more white Muslim converts so a white face wouldn't raise as much suspicion (though you'd have to know enough to pretend to be a believer to get away with it). AllanHainey 13:41, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bill Koch/Frederick Koch

Despite researching the Net I have been unable to find an answer to the following question:

Is the American businesman and America's Cup winner Bill Koch related in any way to the late Pennsylvania art collector Frederick Koch?

Thank you

Unless you've got some reason other than the name, I wouldn't assume so. They come from different places and "Koch" is a very common German surname. (Meaning "Cook", also a common English surname) --BluePlatypus 12:52, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I suggest you ask former New York City mayor Ed Koch. StuRat 18:40, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Financial Centres, UK

i am having a (not very intesting) argument iwth a friend about which is the largest financial centre in the Uk outside london. He thinks its leeds, i think its edinburgh, Wikipedia seems to think its both - does any have a definitive answer or know where i might get one? thanks andrew

I suppose it comes down to how you measure the size of a financial centre, number of headquarters of financial organisations, number of offices of financial organisations, amount of business done through that city, etc. I can't give any definite answers to those but I'd be inclined to say Edinburgh as it would rank quite highly on the last 2 measures (& very highly on the first if you measured Scottish HQs & English HQs). Edinburgh has also been a financial centre for a long time with the professional sector & finance/insurance as its main industry while I believe Leeds until relatively recently was more a manufacturing centre. AllanHainey 12:41, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Edamame etiquette

What is the correct way to eat edamame (boiled soybeans)? They had some at the sushi bar today and I decided to try them, but I didn't know how to eat them. At first I just popped a whole pod in my mouth, but that was unpleasant. Are you supposed to squeeze the beans out with your fingers, or is there some way to do it with chopsticks? —Keenan Pepper 16:58, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You just started an international incident with your question. I hope you're happy! I asked Dr. Ho (Chinese) and he said that he just eats the whole bean. He keeps them chilled in the fridge and eats them as a snack at night. Dr. Ito (Japanese) said that you are supposed to peel and eat the peas at room temperature with beer. I left while they were still arguing about it. --Kainaw ^(talk) 17:05, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

While they're arguing, I'll go have some raw fish for lunch. While I'm there, I'll eat my edamame with my fingers, sliding the beans out of the pod with my teeth, and then skinning the rest of the yummy part off the stringy part (also with my teeth) until I get bored with that, after which I ust eat the beans. They're sure better than boiled peanuts. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 17:16, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, so basically I can eat them however I want. I was afraid there was some standard way to eat them and I was making a fool of myself. =P —Keenan Pepper 17:31, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hey, I'm a Japanese food freak, I've always eaten edamame by holding the pod horizontally against my mouth and squeezing the opposite side, so that the 'seam' towards me splits and they pop into the mouth. PatrickJ83 18:00, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That seems like a good way. —Keenan Pepper 20:04, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Just on the "raw fish" thing - it's not really raw of course. It has been treated with whatever sauces and spices, and is no longer in its raw state. It is definitely "cooked", just not with heat as one might expect in the west. JackofOz 00:38, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It sounds like you think all sashimi/sushi is like ceviche, wherein the fish protein is denatured by being marinated in an acid substance like lime juice. Lots of sashimi is raw, though: really, quite sincerely, raw. - Nunh-huh 05:53, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, there u go then. I must berate my ex-wife, who was once a cook, for misinforming me. JackofOz 07:56, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, well, truth be told it's tastier cooked anyway <g>. - Nunh-huh 15:25, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bills becoming Laws

Can a Bill become a Law without passing through either the House of Reprisentatives or the Senate?

If you really mean without passing through either, then no. If you meant without passing through both, then the answer is "sometimes". A regular bill must be approved by both, in the US. However, the Constitution reserves the right to declare war to the Senate. Unfortunately, after WW2, this has been frequently ignored. Nonbinding resolutions can be passed by either the Senate or House alone, since they really don't do anything. Votes on one chamber's procedural rules, like the cloture vote on a filibuster, don't require the other chamber's approval, either. StuRat 00:01, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"I'm just a bill, yes I'm only a bill, and I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill..." - Schoolhouse Rock StuRat 00:06, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes. A bill can become a law without passing through a Senate or a House of Representatives in the UK. There it must pass through the House of Commons and the House of Lords. In Canada it must pass through the House of Commons and the Senate, but there is no necessity of it passing through a House of Representatives. Oh wait ... were you specifically referring to a US Bill? We're not all Americans here so maybe you should keep that in mind. Loomis51 02:11, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In the United States, there is a lot of confusion about laws. The Schoolhouse Rock show has been long forgotten. Now, we have CNN, CNBC, FoxNews, USA Today, NY TImes... all saying the same thing: "Bush is making a law about..." "Bush is passing a law to..." "Bush's law for..." It wasn't that long ago that it was all about Clinton's laws. Then, come election year, the press goes into a feeding frenzy about the laws the President may make over the next 4 years. So, the American public believes that the President makes laws. The end result is that Americans spend all their time arguing about who should be President and the same criminals get re-elected into Congress over and over. --Kainaw ^(talk) 15:07, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sounds like we need to bring back Schoolhouse Rock, to me. Also, in some cases, the US Congress does act as a virtual rubber stamp for whatever the President proposes. This happens when there is a particularly popular President, especially when both chambers of Congress are of the President's party. For example, the vote to go to war in Iraq was a virtual rubber stamp. You can be quite sure it would not have passed if Bush hadn't pushed it. Now, however, most of the things Bush introduces are dead on arrival, due to his low poll ratings and upcoming elections. StuRat 18:17, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's slightly more complicated than that. The President can and often does introduce laws to congress, and then he pulls whatever political strings he has at his disposal to try to ensure that it's passed. Although he's not strictly speaking a member of congress, he does have a good deal of influence in congress. It's not simply the media that refers to the "Bush's laws" or "Clinton's Laws". For example, if you listen to the President's annual State of the Union address, much of it is devoted to laws that he and the executive branch thought up would to be passed by Congress. He himself often states many many tims "I'm going to introduce into congress a law...". Therefore, to call a certain law "Bush's law" or "Clinton's law" is not entirely innacurate, as very often it is his administration that authored it. Loomis51 15:11, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It depends on what you mean by a "law." Under the Constitution, the president has authority over the Executive Branch; thus, he can issue executive orders on certain subjects. Rather than micromanage every detail of the government, Congress allows the Executive Branch to pass regulations to cover things not laid out specifically in statutes passed by Congress. Executive orders and regulations are as much a part of the law as anything else.

What the president cannot do without Congress is pass a statute. A statute, which is the type of law passed by Congress, "outranks" a regulation. -- Mwalcoff 02:01, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Endless knot in Celtic art?

File:BainCelticKnots.jpg

The Endless knot is a symbol in Tibetan buddhism, according to that page. I don't deny that's true at all. I'm just wondering...it's a really obvious knot, and one that I can easily see other cultures having, especially if they have ornamental knotwork at all. So, my question is: is there an example of that specific knot in Celtic knotwork somewhere? Thanks, Kickstart70-T-C 22:38, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I wouldn't be at all surprised, but the Endless knot does have a feature not often found in Celtic designs - the lines double back on themselves almost like Boustrophedon (follow the longer lines in the endless knot and they zigzag full length - in Celtic knotwork this is quite rare, though it is found in Celtic key patterns). No pattern of exactly that form is described in George Bain's texts on how to create Celtic knotwork. One of Bain's texts does however show a comparison of knotwork patterns from different cutures, and interestingly has what looks very much like the endless knot listed as Chinese Ming dynasty work, and with the added comment that "all of the designs on this plate are to be found in Pictish art". If that's anything to go by,. then it does exist in Celtic art, though exactly where, I'm unable to say. I've uploaded an image of the page, which you can see to the right (the knot I'm referring to is in the right centre). Grutness...wha? 05:29, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Interesting, thank you. I note that the 'pictish' drawing just to the right of that has the right partial of the Endless knot, though that doesn't make any clearer the ultimate outcome as it's done in a way that it could be part of a border, etc. Still, thatsounds like a good enough answer for my purposes, although I was hoping someone would pop up with a photo of some artifact using exactly it :) --Kickstart70-T-C 16:53, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Happy Birthday to You

This is going to sound like a dumb question, but what is the meter of the song "Happy Birthday to You"? I know the most obvious answer is 3/4, but assuming the first two eighth notes are the anacrusis, the chords don't make any sense, because then if the first full measure were a I chord, the measure would start on a non-chord tone, which is unusual, or if it were a IV chord, it's not normal to start a song on anything but a I chord. (We discussed this in my Music Theory II class this afternoon; we had 6 votes for 6/8, 12 votes for 3/4, and 2 votes for 4/4, so I was just wondering who was right.) H e rmione1980 22:47, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's in simple triple meter, so 3/4. The first downbeat has a I chord with the sixth in the melody, which is unusual, but not that unusual. —Keenan Pepper 00:21, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, you could notate it in 6/8 and it would still make sense, but the song would only be 4 full measures long instead of 8. It's definitely not in 4/4 though; feel free to laugh at those 2 people. =P —Keenan Pepper 00:27, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's kind of what I figured. However, my theory teacher does like to throw us some curveballs every now and then, so I thought I would ask. Thanks! H e rmione1980 00:36, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

demographics united states

This is about the united states demographics in 2006. According to your information there are some 10-12 percent white hispanics in the u.s. . But I know for a fact that there only about1-3 percent WHITE hispanics !!!! You don't mention anything about eastern europeaners and a population estimate should be formulated for them!!!

Perhaps there is a diff in your defs. Does "white hispanic" mean 100% Caucasian, or 51%, or 1%, for example ? StuRat 23:52, 21 April 2006 (UTC) StuRat 23:52, 21 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

April 22

Albania

Is there a "title" for Albania? (Like Japan: Land of the Rising Sun or Peru: Land of the Incas.) Haven't had any luck searching.

thx ~gail

In Albanian at least, Land Of The Eagle. See The Tale of the Eagle. --ByeByeBaby 05:04, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks a bunch!---- (~gail) 08:43, 22 Apr 2006

Democracy in India

India is often described as the world's most populous democracy.

I realize this question will ultimately end up in a series of opposing statements but I'll ask it anyway. Seeing as how the "democratic" nature of a state is not a black or white issue, but an issue of shades grey, ranging from, on the one side, a democratic farce, that being, a country with "democratic" elections like, for example, Iran, or the Palestinian "election" of a terrorist organization, or a corrupt democracy such as Mexico etc... to a situation of a true dedication to democratic ideals such as in Canada, the US, the UK etc...where does India fit in?

First of all, cynics please don't respond. If you don't accept Canada, the US, the UK etc.. as countries truly dedicated to the democratice ideal, I'm not interested in your response.

I'd just like to know what the general concensus is on the level of democracy in India. Is there significant corruption? Is there any significant intimidation by certain forces to vote a certain way, or to not vote at all? In sum, should India be described as a "qualified" or a "full fledged" democracy? Loomis51 01:10, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See Corruption Perceptions Index. This is not measuring quite the same thing, but may still be of interest to you. India doesn't do very well there, coming in 88th=. None of the countries you list are in the top ten. Mexico does slightly better than India.-gadfium 02:33, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm having a hard time with all of your qualifications. It seems you're looking for a value judgement as much as a factual one, yet you don't want "cynics" responding. Personally, I'd suggest that it's a little cynical to describe the recent Palestinian election as a farce and an "election" in scare quotes, just because a party that has supported terrorism won -- and then turn around and describe Canadian elections as truly democratic, even though sovereigntist parties are routinely elected, and elected out of proportion to their support. In the most recent Canadian federal election, the BQ got 1.6 million votes and 51 seats, where the NDP got a million more votes - 2.6 million total, and only 29 seats. You cite the UK as a good case, and I'd say they're about as good as Canada (which is pretty good, but not great), even though terrorists Sinn Féin have had seats since 1983.

Yeah, the Iranian election system has problems, in that candidates are approved by the Guardian Council, a group of unelected religious leaders. That's clearly a problem. Mexican elections are cleaning up, and aren't the one-party affairs of 20 years ago. They're still not perfect, but they're not that bad, either. On the other hand, American elections have serious democracy issues -- for instance, gerrymandering is a real problem, such as the bipartisan gerrymander of California where essentially every district is now a solid Republican or a solid Democratic district, and it would take massive shifts in public opinion to swing even one district. Elections Canada is much more neutral, and is one way Canadian elections are fairer than American ones.

The countries that are truly devoted to the democratic ideal, in my opinion, have moved to a proportional representation system, which does a much better job of matching voter preferences with the election outcome. The Netherlands use this system, and so does Ireland, New Zealand and Israel. The Swiss have a weird system where all major parties form a coalition government, but they're also rabid about direct democracy.

Now that you have some idea of how I view elections, in my opinion, Indian elections are pretty good. They're not as smooth as Canadian ones in terms of operations, but India has nowhere near the level of infrastructure that Canada enjoys. For instance, voting is done in stages over a month. Their computer voting system is much better and more tamper-resistant than those used in the United States, and they're a fraction of the price. Measured with the Gallagher Index, the elections are pretty good at matching the voter's preference to the outcome -- the most recent Indian elections got a score of 0.054 when I calculated it (lower is better), where recent Canadian and UK elections had scores of 0.10 and 0.18 respectively. Proportional representation elections, like the Dutch, score lower than the Indians, at 0.01. Money plays a big role in Indian politics; in a poor country, you have to be relatively rich to run for government -- but the American Presidential campaign has the same flaw.

The most recent election had a few isolated violent incidents; these mostly happened in the Kashmir area and in the states bordering Nepal, where, sad to say, there are isolated violent incidents from time to time. It's certainly a problem, but India's a big place with a lot of active rebel and terrorist groups -- it wasn't a broad hijacking of the election or organized voter suppression or state use of security forces for the intimidation of minority parties.

In short, Indian elections have their flaws, as do most other countries commonly thought of as democracies. If you can call Canada, the US and UK democratic (and, despite my grumbling, I do), you can call India democratic without qualification. In fact, as single-member constituency electoral systems, those four are actually very similar in terms of sharing the same strengths and weaknesses.

And an edit conflict note - the corruption perception index is a measure of the overall abuse of office. That certainly is a problem in India, from what I know. Crooked cops, baksheesh and so on. My impression is that the elections themselves are generally much fairer. --ByeByeBaby 02:55, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Iran elections are dubious. (1) The voter turnout is inflated by letting 15-year-old kids vote. (2) The Supreme Leader is selected by the previous one or other mullahs. (3) The President gives speeches, goes to the UN, and so forth, but he is subordinate to the Supreme Leader. (4) There are many position is the government for which only mullahs are allowed to run. (5) Mullahs can nullify any legislation that contradicts Islam. ... (20) Torture of dissidents is frequent.Patchouli 05:08, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I believe the recent Palestinian elections were free and fair. Thus, one must conclude that the majority of Palestinians prefer to have terrorists lead them than the alternative party. I take this as a sign that not everyone is ready for democracy. StuRat 08:25, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"terrorist" is difficult to differentiate from "freedom fighter." EamonnPKeane 14:25, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Since they intentionally murder as many civilians as possible, they aren't fighting for any "freedom" I want to be a part of. I also believe their goal (after killing all Jews) is to establish a non-democratic Islamic state. So, they are apparently fighting for the "freedom to do as we say, or die". StuRat 20:52, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the above opinions. I'd just like to say that what I meant when I said I didn't want cynical opinions, I meant that I wasn't interested in someone telling me something along the lines of "Well, the US/Canadian/UK systems aren't perfect (look at the whole 2000 Florida recount fiasco) and there does exist some corruption, therefore, the US/Canadian/UK systems aren't really all that better than the Iranian/Mexican/Russian, etc.. systems. Bullshit. The US/Canadian/UK systems indeed are not perfect, but they're light years away from these other backward regimes. StuRat is actually right, the Palestinian elections were free and fair (which doesn't say much for the Palestinian people to elect a terrorist organization as their representatives,) but I was refering more to the broader definition of democracy as embodying freedom of religion, speech, thought, assembly, devotion to pluralism etc...by which the Palestinian regime is by no means democratic. As for the argument that it's difficult to differentiate a terrorist from a freedom fighter, well, we can argue this point night and day, but all I feel like saying now is "Bullshit". The difference between a terrorist organization and the IDF is clear as day. I'm tired of arguing the obvious. If you can't tell the difference, well then, all i can say is God bless you in your ignorance.

To get back to my original question, where would you put India's democracy in the spectrum of democracies, with due regard to the foundational democratic principles outlined above? Is it a democracy only in the simplest sense or in the broader sense I outlined? Thanks. Loomis51 20:38, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I would say India is a fairly decent democracy, in the broader sense of the word. StuRat 20:52, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks StuRat, it seems like I always have you to rely on for a sane opinion. Loomis51 23:15, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, the way your question was phrased originally (talking about elections and voting) confused me into thinking you wanted to know if India was a Democracy, as in a country governed by the people. Which it is. A better way to phrase this question in the future, would be to ask if India was a Liberal democracy, as in a country with a democratic government, plus basic rights and freedoms. Which it is, as well. The area controlled by the Palestinian National Authority is an Illiberal democracy, and Iran is not a democracy in any sense of the word. --ByeByeBaby 07:19, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You're right ByeBye, I didn't fully explain my definition of democracy, however, in my defence, I did mention "democratic ideals" and not just a democratic electoral process. Also, by putting the word "election" in quotes when referring to the Palestinian election, I thought I was making my question clearer, but you're right, I was referring to liberal democracy, not democracy alone. Finally, I should point out that in you're response you drifted somewhat from a simple assessment of the fairness of the electoral process, to a critique of the first-past-the-post system that exists in the US/Canada/UK. The critique is a valid one, and despite my reservations about proportional representation, I respect your opinion.

I'm very aware of the difference between a simple democratic electoral process and liberal/constitutional democracy, in fact I'm writing a rather lengthy thesis on the Canadian liberal/constitutional democratic system at this moment. However, although the narrow definition of democracy is indeed simple majority rule, its definition has apparently evolved to mean a broader liberal/constitutional democratic system. The argument is that, for example, without freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association, freedom of religion etc...voters are unable to make truly informed decisions about who/what to vote for, and so despite a democratic electoral system, the system as a whole is not "fully" democratic, even in the simple electoral sense. A brainwashed society makes for a poor electorate. So basically we're in agreement. Thanks for your input and I apologize if my comments seemed to have been directed to you, as they weren't. I was merely incenced at that boring old ignorant and misguided statement by Eamonn that the terms "terrorist" and "freedom fighter" are difficult to differentiate. Perhaps some of my irritation spilled over onto you, and for that I apologize. Loomis51 14:35, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The simplest def of terrorism is groups that seek to maximize civilian casualties, while a legitimate military seeks to minimize civilian casualties. StuRat 18:30, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Democracy is a great thing and men are not always so great. Let India go its own way. Without being cynical : there is also corruption in the greatest democraties and rare are the relatives of government people that do not see their affairs going better. As for Palestinians who had to choose between corruption and terrorism, they knew both and made their choice. --DLL 22:22, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

But the question comes up as to why the only parties in Palestine from which to choose are either highly corrupt or terrorists StuRat 22:38, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

US Civil War

Is it true that some textbooks in the south say that the Confederacy won the war?

Not that I'm aware of. A quick Google search brought me back here to American Civil War, but with nothing really conclusive. Further checking of links took me to Wikibooks (adding the phrase textbook), and a blog post (2) about a guy rejecting textbooks and such. Someone in your same predicament (you perhaps) asked a question at Monkeyfilter.com, which basically says that southern textbooks are more sympathetic, but still no definitive info that says that southern kids are being lied to. Sorry I couldn't be of more service. -Mysekurity^[m!] 05:32, 22 April 2006 (UTC)

I'm living where such books would be approved, if anywhere, and the answer is "no." There are plenty that say that the war was of Northern Aggression (not endorsed by states, but preps might use them) and that it was about state's rights, but none that I've ever even heard of, much less seen, that say that the South won. However, folks love to tell lies about the South and to claim for it every sin they would despise in themselves (e.g. Klan membership is highest in Ohio, the most violent school busing conflicts were in Boston, not Mississippi). Geogre 13:02, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In the 1850's, there were a few wacky textbooks in the south, such as Daniel Harvey Hill's 1857 algebra book, which sought to use mathematics to inculcate hatred of northerners. A few sample problems:

A Yankee mixes a certain number of wooden nutmegs, which cost him 1/4 cent apiece, with a quantity of real nutmegs, worth 4 cents apiece, and sells the whole assortment for $44; and gains $3.75 by the fraud. How many wooden nutmegs were there?

In the year 1692, the people of Massachusetts executed, imprisoned, or privately persecuted 469 persons, of both sexes, and all ages, for alleged crime of witchcraft. Of these, twice as many were privately persecuted as were imprisoned, and 7 17/19 times as many more were imprisoned than were executed. Required the number of sufferers of each kind?

In the year 1637, all the Pequod Indians that survived the slaughter on the Mystic River were either banished from Connecticut, or sold into slavery. The square root of twice the number of survivors is equal to 1/10 that number. What was the number?

You get the idea... AnonMoos 07:01, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm in Texas and I can tell you that our textbooks definately do not say that. Closest to being sympathetic is saying that slavery was the biggest part of the South's economy. I'm sitting here with my Social Studies book and it says it was printed in Illinois though. schyler 14:21, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I went to school in the midwest (Missouri), moved to L.A., then Honolulu, then Boston, and now I am in Charleston, SC. I've seen the view of the Civil War change as I've moved. In the Midwest, it was just a thing that happened. No big deal. In L.A., it was overshadowed by the Mexican-American war - the President sent American troops to attack Mexico because he felt that Mexico was stockpiling arms in a threat of a future attack. (That would never happen in modern times, right?) In Hawaii, it was overshadowed by the conspiracy around the overthrow of the Queen of Hawaii by Americans. In Boston, it was all about slavery. The north had to beat up the stupid southerners to make them stop keeping slaves. In Charleston, it became the War of Secession. The southerners were paying a lot in Federal taxes, but all the taxes were spent building big cities in the north. So, the South seceded. The Northerners, who previously considered the South scum, suddenly decided they couldn't live without them and went to war to force them to remain part of the "Union of Willing States". None of those views are entirely accurate. I blame the difference in views on a very poor education system. --Kainaw ^(talk) 15:17, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I grew up in Michigan and was taught that slavery was one issue, but was part of a larger economic struggle. That is, the North and South were originally equal in wealth and power, but the North was taking the lead due to industrialization, and the South was unwilling to lose it's equal status. Is this accurate enough ? (I see how your Hawaii conspiracy theory made it back in again, too, LOL.) StuRat 21:13, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, you can't spend a year sitting on the beach with a bunch of Hawaiian Independence activists and not get a little influenced. What really got them upset was all the dumb tourists that thought the Phillipinos were the native Hawaiians. One would always ask, "How can those haoles (sp? - Hawaiian for 'stupid white person') confuse a 60 pound Flip stick of a man with a healthy 400 pound Samoan?" --Kainaw ^(talk) 23:54, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I had a very proactive teacher who talked about the 'Texas Standard' I looked around and appearently this term isn't in common circulation, but the practice it refers to is very real. It has to do with the volume of textbooks purchaced by the very large Texas school districts, the pressure on these school boards from lobbyists and how this causes textbooks that are distributed nationwide to bend toward certain ideologies that are common amongst certain vocal minorities in Texas. Here are some references: [7], [8], [9] and [10]. These are just a choice few. -LambaJan 16:10, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. One of my teachers told us that a few schools in Texas teach this. I think what he meant to say was that they are more sympathetic to the south.

I suppose one could argue that the South won, in that they were able to reestablish virtual economic slavery of blacks after Reconstruction by using the KKK to terrorize blacks and keep them from voting. This victory eroded with the Civil Rights movement, however. StuRat 21:06, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hmmm...

The last three presidents have been from the old Confederacy, and the last president from north of the Mason-Dixon line to be elected was JFK in 1960. (Ford wasn't elected.)
In 1992, 1996 and 2000, all six major presidential candidates (Bush I, Clinton, Perot, Dole, Gore and Bush II) were from former slave-holding states.
The current president pro tem of the Senate, chosen in 2003, is the first from outside the old Confederacy since 1981. The last time we had a president pro tem from a Civil War Union state was in 1955; since then, seven have come from the Confederate states.
The speaker of the House is from outside Chicago, but he only got that position after Newt Gingrich of Georgia resigned and the man who was to replace him, Bob Livingston of Louisiana, also resigned.
The recently appointed House majority leader, from Ohio, follows four consecutive southerners: Gephardt (Mo.), Armey (Texas), DeLay (Texas) and Blunt (Mo.).

So who really did win the Civil War, anyway? -- Mwalcoff 01:55, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And if you really want to irritate Republicans, remind them that well over half of their electoral support comes from former slave-holding states. Actually rather ironic, considering the history of the GOP. Bhumiya (said/done) 03:56, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dole? Since when was Kansas a slave state? User:Zoe|^(talk) 04:26, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No doubt there are some textbooks that paint a revisionist picture of the Confederacy, downplaying slavery, overemphasizing the influence of the Copperheads, etc.

I live in a heavily Yankeefied suburb of Richmond, Virginia that nevertheless contains many direct descendants of CSA veterans. A disadvantaged bunch, mostly. Few would have any familial history of slave ownership. I had a history teacher two years ago who explicitly taught that Lincoln had no desire to free the slaves (which is ridiculous in light of Lincoln's well-documented messianic abolitionism, but eases the conscience of guys whose ancestors fought for the CSA). This teacher insisted that Emancipation was a purely military action, with the implication that the Union lacked the moral high ground, etc. Views like this can still be found throughout the South, and increasingly in the North. Although nobody argues against abolitionism, the argument is that abolitionism was a marginal force, employed by cynical Yankees bent on economic subjugation of the South. One of my teacher's favorite arguments was that the majority of Southerners were poor and didn't own slaves. Therefore, he reasoned, they would never have fought had the war been based on slavery. Since they did fight, they must have been motivated by something else. The implication is that they fought for their "freedom" or some such nonsense. He would actually bristle at the suggestion that his ancestors could have fought for slavery.

I've encountered countless people (many of them young and otherwise apparently intelligent) who maintain, among other things, that slavery was opposed by the majority of CSA citizens, that blacks regularly fought for the South, that the majority of northerners vehemently opposed the war, that the war was precipitated entirely by "economics" (few are able to elucidate any further), and that the issue of slavery was exploited by northern pro-war politicians as a means of discrediting the South and justifying "genocide" against Southerners, etc etc. Many of these same people wear Rebel flag shirts with ludicrous statements like

If this flag offends you,

study American history

Which is a bit like wearing a swastika to honor German history.

I think it's safe to say that Southern culture largely escaped any sort of Vergangenheitsbewältigung after the war. Obviously, white supremacists returned with a vengeance in the form of Jim Crow. The situation is vaguely reminiscent of the Japanese attitude to war attrocities. Although the issue is spoken of as though settled, many Southerners have yet to come to terms with the harsh reality of the Civil War.

So inasmuch as the CSA and its Lost Cause continues to find new defenders and apologists, yes, the South can be said to have "triumphed" in some small way. But I don't think anyone, at any point since the Civil War, has ever tried to argue that the South won in a military or cultural sense. Looking at the map, I see no CSA. The South was virtually obliterated by the war, and has only recently recovered economically. Even the drunkest KKK historiographer would be hard-pressed to argue that the Union had been vanquished.

In short, no, I doubt strongly that any textbook was ever published containing such a statement. It would have been laughed at. Bhumiya (said/done) 03:42, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In reality, there is no such thing as the "winner" of a war, regardless of which side capitulates. Still talking of the "winning and losing" sides in a civil war 150-odd years down the track would tend to perpetuate the very divisions that were exemplified in the war in the first place. Wouldn't it be truer to say that, depending on your point of view, either the U.S. as a whole was ultimately "better off" as a result of this conflict (and therefore a "winner"), or the U.S. as a whole would have been better served if the Civil War had never happened. JackofOz 04:04, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I know, the bell tolls for thee, but for all historical purposes, I think one can safely label the CSA the losing side. The war was fought mostly in the South, the casualties were much worse in the South, and (most importantly) the CSA was reincorporated! Obviously, the victor would not be assimilated by the loser.

One point I was feebly trying to make, which I seem not to have conveyed properly, is that although the war was originally a very polarizing affair, many people have attempted during the intervening years to find a "common ground", and many revisionist ideas have thereby migrated from the South into the mainstream American consciousness -- among these ideas, the most distressing is the notion (now widely accepted in many circles) that slavery and abolitionism were not the primary causes of the war, when in fact they were. It may be that in the pursuit of a "balanced" appraisal, Americans have given the secessionist movement far more credit than it deserves. In the effort to give the Rebs the benefit of the doubt, we fail to realize that the doubt is manufactured. Bhumiya (said/done) 04:46, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ummm, no, they weren't. If you wish to say that slavery was the root cause of the war, you would be correct, but it was neither the proximal cause nor the popular cause. It is absolutely true that Abraham Lincoln did not wish to free the slaves, as a policy gesture. In fact, the Emancipation proclamation did not free the slaves throughout the nation. It freed only slaves in unconquered areas of the South. In other words, it was designed as a military gesture. Furthermore, the reaction of the north to the proclamation was rioting in New York City, resistance to the draft, etc. Slavery caused the civil war because a slave economy addicted the south to a particular form of agriculture, left the south with a workforce that it would not retrain, and meant that a very small class in the south got very wealthy and controlled southern politics. Therefore, the south's economy was unable to sustain the shock of northern tariffs. Indeed, slavery was such an expensive economy that southerners needed very high profits. Therefore, the south had to rebel. However, no one, and I do mean no one, in power in north or south was speaking of abolition as a war aim. Frederick Douglass, for one, regarded Lincoln as irrelevant. He said that the war had nothing to do with slaves, so he didn't care what happened. Lincoln may have been personally in favor of abolition, but he was not officially in favor of it until 1865. The more you read of primary records and actual historians of the war, the clearer it becomes that abolition was not the cause for the war. In fact, the moral high ground of saying the war was about abolition is revisionism and a way of glossing over the constitutional raw nerves exposed by the war. Geogre 15:00, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Geogre, I agree with you more than you realize! I concede that you are right on many points, and I don't want to seem like I'm savaging the South and extolling the North. My intention is simply to say that while abolition may not have been a central Northern aim from the start, it was both (1) viewed as such by the Southern elite (from the very beginning), and was later (2) adopted as such by many (perhaps most) Unionists. Without a doubt, the average northerner was fairly ambivalent to slavery, though he might have opposed its extension. But once the war got going, both sides used the issue extensively, albeit usually cynically. More to the point, slavery actually was the cause of the economic weakness of the south, in that it had allowed the south to grow beyond sustainability. Virtually every economic problem of the south was caused (directly or otherwise) by slavery. So I think it would be a mistake to say that slavery was not the root of the war. There were certainly other causes, but most of these causes grew out of the effects of slavery, or shared with it a common origin. In short, while abolitionism may not have been a cause of the war, slavery was a cause, in that it engendered Southern economic weakness and allowed the North to easily alienate the South. I never wished to imply that the Northern elite were any nobler in their true intentions than their Southern counterparts, but merely that Northerners happened, through accident, to be on the right side, much like the Allies in WWII. In a way, poor white Southerners paid for the bigotry of all white Americans, whose colonial ancestors almost universally approved of slavery. Northerners were luckier, not more valiant. What is my point in all this, you ask? Only that the Lost Cause was not noble, but tragic. The Civil War was traumatic for the entire country, but this shouldn't prevent us from seeing that all casualties being equal, Confederate success (or survival) would have been far worse than Union victory. No, the war was not a triumph, but as JackofOz noted, what war is? Like WWII, it was less of a failure than it might have been.

But this is a huge digression from the original question. I merely wished to illustrate how the Southern defeat was not truly comprehended by Southerners, which allowed it to be more easily denied. Unlike post-war Germans, who aknowledged without reservation that the Third Reich had been an abject tragedy, Reconstruction-era southerners somehow retained a strong faith in the nobility and validity of the "Cause". For them, the greatest tragedy was the Union victory. Northerners also failed by choosing to punish the South rather than aiding them in overcoming the economic byproducts of slavery which had caused the war in the first place. The Confederacy can be said to have "won" in that its old ideals survived long after the war and penetrated into mainstream American consciousness, preventing Americans from recognizing the CSA as what it was: a regime of slave-holders. The Confederacy was a failure. Its existence was a failure for the USA, and had it not been destroyed in the war, it would have been a double-failure. As for literal denials of Confederate defeat, I highly doubt that any such claims would have been made, even in the presence of strong, uncontested Confederate sympathy. Some might argue that "the war isn't over", or that "the South will rise again", but I don't think anyone would claim the CSA had achieved victory. If, hypothetically, the South had regained its independence at some later date, such denials would have been easy to make, though they would be believed only within its borders. Bhumiya (said/done) 04:04, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

We largely agree, although I'm not very enthusiastic about abolitionism being a popular banner in the north. In the south, abolition was presented as the unspeakable thing, the horror that must not be allowed. (In fact, more than one Southern general had felt that it was either inevitable or should be done consciously.) I think the parallel to Germany has more than difference in it, though. The South has been aware of race relations and has had to admit its problems for generations, and I actually think the "Forget Hell!" and "South Shall Rise Again" folks are like the neo-Nazis of Germany: they are a reaction against an imposed, focused guilt. Just as anti-semitism occurred throughout Europe (and England) but Germany became the anti-Semitic nation, so racism has been a universal sin in the US, but the South got to be the racist area. Some people react to this by turning it to political sublimation: they grab the antithetical concern, rage in it, and cover all their political powerlessness with it. Those who embrace the hateful cause are typically never those in power, but rather the powerless, who get to turn their displaced ideological losses into a cause. (There is a little trailer a few miles away from me with Confederate battle flags and the like being sold from it. There is no coincidence that the trailer is run by poor people and patronized by poor people.) Geogre 10:51, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I entirely agree with that. Poverty was a major source of the "unreconstructed rebel" syndrome, and continues to create racists and Neo-Nazis today. To address your earlier comment, I didn't mean to suggest that actual ideological abolitionism was a major force in mainstream Northern politics, but I think it did inform Northern attitudes about the South, and certainly took on a significance later, when it became a justification for Northern excesses; in other words, it became a very powerful means of asserting the moral superiority of the Union while refusing to aknowledge the common origin of the North and South (and hence the unenviable economic position of the South prior to secession). The war was retconned, in a manner of speaking, by both sides. And by the Nazi parallel, I didn't mean to give the impression that racism is still particularly prevalent in the South. In fact, from what I've seen, it's just about as prevalent as it is in the North, if not less so. There are some major racists in the Northern cities. But there remains among many Southerners a fierce sympathy, couched in the vague language of "heritage" and "history", not only with the people who fought for the CSA, but with the ideals it claimed to represent -- states' rights, "traditional" Christianity, rural populism, etc. Confederate flags are still viewed as dignified and worthy symbols, appropriate for tombs and cemeteries. At no memorial for German war dead, including private tombs, you will never see swastikas. The regime, and hence its symbols, no longer carry any honor. Not so for the Confederacy and its naval jack. Interestingly enough, while Confederate sympathists often claim to respect all the war casualties, they very rarely concern themselves with the Union. I suppose it all boils down to the fact that Reconstruction was bungled, and Confederate sympathy was allowed to regroup and recover strength; indeed, the Northerners fanned the flames. Although the issues of race have been largely settled in the South, the issue of the secession has not been. Moderate people still look upon the CSA with admiration, or are at least able to do so without being held to account for their beliefs. I wouldn't recommend "reeducation", of course, but I think people need to realize that by waving the Rebel Flag, they're honoring not those who died in the Civil War, but the racist folly for which they died. The longer it continues unchallenged, the more respectable it seems, inside and (increasingly) outside the South. Bhumiya (said/done) 13:27, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In any case, Saddam still maintains from his cell in Baghdad that the '91 Gulf War was "The Mother of all Victories"...in light of that, any twisting of history is possible, no matter how absurd. Loomis51 02:02, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Prince Charles

I understand that Edward VIII had to abdicate the throne in order to marry Wallis Simpson. Wiki explains that he had to abdicate because Simpson was a divorcée and her husband was still alive, contrary to the rules of the Church of England.

However, Prince Charles' wife, Cammilla, is a divorcée and her ex-husband is still alive, yet Charles remains the heir to the throne of England.

Have the rules changed? Why is Charles allowed to marry Camilla and still become King while his great-uncle Edward was forced to abdicate for basically the same reason? Loomis51 02:45, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Charles married Camilla in a civil service, so the rules of the Church of England did not apply.-gadfium 03:43, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Also, we'll never know now, but it has been said that if Edward had really wanted to marry Wallis Simpson in the Church of England while remaining king, the Church would have put up a good fight but ultimately would not have stood in his way. The real reason he abdicated was not because this was the only way he could have Wallis, but because Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin persuaded him that the people of the Commonwealth would never have accepted Wallis as Queen, not just because she was a divorcee, but because she was a non-British divorcee. But the real, real reason is that Baldwin wanted Edward out of the way because he knew of his sympathies with the Nazi regime and he didn't want an acquiescent monarch on the throne in the event of a German attempt at occupying Britain. Wallis just happened to come along at exactly the right time to let Baldwin make it virtually impossible for Edward to remain, by spinning him the (not entirely untrue) story about the Commonwealth, and Baldwin in this way helped save Britain from becoming part of the Third Reich. He proved to be a most prescient and patriotic Prime Minister in the face of a traitor king, and he is much underrated in my opinion. JackofOz 04:21, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hmm. I'm of exactly the opposite opinion. It was a lucky chance for Baldwin that Edward VIII was both a Nazi sympathiser and had put himself in this position. baldwin had long disliked the Prince of Wales, who had made himself very popular with the general public for his strong support of striking workers in Wales during the 1926 general strike - many of whom just happened to work for firms which were owned by Baldwin's family. It was also this strike that helped to bring down the conservative government led by Baldwin. The Prime Minister simply found a perfect opportunity to rid himself of a troublesome king. Whether it was because of trouble to the country or trouble to Baldwin personally, though, is another matter. Grutness...wha? 05:43, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Two questions about Amor en custodia

1. Do you know of any Web sites that explain the meanings of such Spanish slang terms as equis and cañón, used by the character Barbie on the Mexican soap opera Amor en custodia, who's a caricature of a student at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico?

I believe equis means the letter X. StuRat 08:06, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And I think cañón means cannon.schyler 14:16, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

UPDATE cañón can also mean barrel of a gun. schyler 14:17, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

2. (much more important!) Is there any way I can watch the show—whether on television, online, or even by purchasing videos/DVD's of back seasons—in the United States? I know it airs in both Mexico and Argentina.

Thanks in advance, anon.

Wigs & Breeches to Suits

What caused important men to transition from wigs and breeches to gentlemanly suits at about the outset of 1800? Also, was President John Adams the last president to wear a wig?Patchouli 07:30, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's difficult to explain why a new fashion catches on, but perhaps one reason was the need to differentiate themselves from the British, who continued to wear powdered wigs. I also suspect that wigs, which had a definite snob appeal to them, tended to lose votes against a more populist candidate. StuRat 08:13, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Very correct. The new country didn't want to appear British and it would be difficult to get Americans to vote for someone who looked like a British politician. As for the last to wear a wig, I am certain that I've seen paintings of Jefferson and Madison in wigs. Perhaps this was before they became President. Also, after wigs, it was popular to turn hair white through bleach, powder, or some other means. So, you'll see that Adams, Jefferson, and Madison didn't turn grey. They turned white. Quincy Adams didn't wear a wig. He was bald. I've often wondered, but haven't investigated, is there a relation between the wigs worn by British government and the Whig party? --Kainaw ^(talk) 16:20, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

We have an article 1795-1820 in fashion, from which you could determine that U.S. upper-class trends weren't really too far out of sync with British. Churchh 19:23, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

OK - quick research. The American Whig party is named after the British Whig party, which it named after a Scottish (offensive) nickname for the Kirk party. Whig was a slang term for a cattle thief. --Kainaw ^(talk) 16:23, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I suspect you are wigging out, LOL. I can't see why the Brits would name their party after a slang Scottish term for a cattle thief. StuRat 16:45, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It could be vandalism, but I went to Whig Party (United States), which says the Whigs were named after the British Whig Party. The next article claims they were named after the Kirk Party, which says the term Whig was an offensive nickname for the Kirk Party that normally meant "cattle thief". If it isn't true, there's some cleaning up to be done. --Kainaw ^(talk) 23:43, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The entymology of the name whig is accurate, I've read it before elsewhere. AllanHainey 13:03, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Faith in the Non-Human Animal Kingdom

Humans are notorious for 'evidenceless' beliefs. Is there any indication of faith by non-human animals?--JLdesAlpins 12:10, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Since there is still considerable debate about whether animals have a consciousness (made doubly difficult by the fact that we still have no idea why humans have a consciousness), asking if they have faith is a bit premature. Ask again in a hundred years, when we have perfected human-animal communication (if we ever do :)). — QuantumEleven 13:39, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, elephants go and visit the bones of their dead relatives. They seem to have an emotional reaction. It's difficult to say just what's going on in their minds, but it's pretty obvious something is going on. Similarly, many animal mothers will continue to carry a dead baby around for quite some time. Whether they are expecting it to rise from the dead or just can't admit that it's dead is open for debate. StuRat 16:51, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Richard Dawkins, in his essay Viruses of the Mind, compares human faith to the instinct within gnats that leads them to commit suicide by flying into bug-zappers. Essentially, he argues that faith comes about when instincts are removed from the evolutionary context in which they were acquired. Bug-zappers were not a part of gnats' evolutionary environment, so their instincts cannot account for them. Bhumiya (said/done) 04:09, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Because our mind is 0.001% "free" of instinct, we have, with the doubtful help of culture and civilisation, to discover and make our own opinion of subjects like beauty, faith, hope and death. We also believe that animals are immersed in this world and take it "as it", and so, we rarely try to see if there is something else for them ; but there are no or very few words for them to tell. --DLL 22:10, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I would say we have a lot more instinct than 0.001%. If we include physical abilities, like breathing, blinking, breast feeding, and swimming and all addictions and all sexual desires and food appetites, that's quite a bit right there. StuRat 05:28, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Of course, Dawkins didn't mean for the comparison to be taken literally, but as a metaphor for the process by which faith is acquired. He used the evolved instincts of the gnat as an analogy of the memetic (i.e. learned, non-instinctive) concepts within the human mind. A meme which evolves under certain circumstances and is retained under very different circumstances is, like the gnat's instinct, capable of wreaking havoc on its owner. Dawkins does not consider faith to be biological and genetic, but conceptual and memetic. A human may discard memes without altering his genetic makeup, but a gnat, of course, cannot alter its genes.

If the tendency of elephants to return to their relatives' bones is genetic in origin, like the gnat's suicidal light fetish, then it can be justifiably dismissed as different from human faith. If, however, it is acquired through the same mechanism as human faith (i.e. memetically, through learning rather than genes), then there is no basis for denying that the elephant possesses the same kind of faith as man. Naturally, those who reject Dawkins's conception of faith (including, no doubt, all self-described people of faith) are not likely to aknowledge the elephants' behavior as faith, but as something superficially resembling it.

Of course, I have no doubt that some liberal religions (Unitarianism, for instance) might not begrudge elephants the capacity for faith. Liberal theists tend to view faith not as a human birthright, but as a function of intelligence, so they might be more open to faith as an explanation for strange behaviors observed in intelligent animals, especially charismatic ones like elephants, chimps, and dolphins. I doubt Focus on the Family and Pat Robertson would feel this way, but as we all know, faith takes many forms. Bhumiya (said/done) 04:26, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you define human to mean only Homo sapiens, then yes, there is evidence of spirituality in Homo neanderthalensis. Specifically, they appear to be the first hominids to bury their dead, often with what appear to be tools and animal bones (suggesting they were buried with food), among other things. — Knowledge Seeker দ 04:36, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

For my own part, I have no doubt that as an animal becomes more intelligent, its capacity to misconstrue reality becomes greater. A more complex mind means more possibilities for error, and an enhanced ability to resist unpleasant realities. "Lower" organisms, like fish and lizards, have very little extra brain to set aside for these extravagances. They must devote their entire brain to survival, and are thus protected from fantasy. Of course, they're also "protected" from the sort of higher-level thinking that allows apes, elephants, and humans to thrive. It's undoubtedly a trade-off and a continuum. It wouldn't be wise to view the matter as a discontinuous case of "faith or no faith", but a gradual progression from immersion (to paraphrase DLL) to abstraction. Thus, at the risk of somewhat compromising my earlier assertion, it may be that elephants have a greater capacity for faith than voles, but less than humans. Apes fall somewhere in between. Of course, this raises the possibility that some elephants and apes might lose their faith. It serves to reason that an animal's capacity for superstition ought to match its ability to overcome that superstition (although this may not actually be the case). I wonder if elephants ever abandon their return to the graves, or if the willingness to do so could be spread memetically through a community of elephants. All very speculative, but interesting. Bhumiya (said/done) 15:21, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Burrhus Frederic Skinner did some work studying superstition in pigeons - maybe not faith, but evidenceless belief. Relevant, without doubt, but I'll leave the analysis to someone who doesn't mind a flame war. --Hughcharlesparker 11:33, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Controversy doesn't have to turn into a flame war if we all make a special effort to be respectful. The original questioner is evidently a skeptic on the matter, and it's mainly skeptics who have been responding, so I wouldn't really worry. If someone wishes to make an argument from the theist perspective, I see no reason why it should devolve into a shouting match. Bhumiya (said/done) 14:04, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Of course animals have faith. Why do you think dogs howl at the moon? They know that it is home to the Mother Of All Dogs, and they howl so that she knows there are still dogs alive to watch over down on Earth. It is the Mother Of All Dogs that makes the Moon shine brightly every month. The Father of All Dogs flies through the sky - you can sometimes see his long white tail (we call him "Comet"). It's important for dogs to let the Mother Of All Dogs know there are dogs here, because when dogs die their ghosts (called "Happythoughts" by dogs) go up to the moon to be with her. Sometimes, when the moon shines brightly at night, these happythoughts come to visit living dogs as dreams. One day, when all the dogs are gone from the earth, there will be none left to howl to the moon. Then the Mother Of All Dogs will know that her guarding duty is over, and she will stop making the moon shine bright. She will leave with the dog happythoughts to be with Comet, and they will all fly through space forever. Grutness...wha? 14:45, 24 April 2006 (UTC) (PS - this is a quick summary of the story "Ligion", one of my "Uncle Yuri" stories. But I have it on good authority that it's true. A labrador told me.)[reply]

Good Friday in Eastern Orthodox Church and Western Churches

Why does the Orthodox Church celebrate Good Friday and Easter at different times most years? Good Friday has to have a full moon on that night. (this is because there was a full moon on the first Good Friday, the night of the Crucifiction, or so I was always taught). This is why Easter is a "moveable feast".

This year 2006, there can be no full moon on the Eastern celebration of Good Friday, as there was last week, (April 14th, 2006) when the Catholic and Protestant churches celebrated Good Friday, and subsequently Easter. Is this perhaps jsut some kind of "dare to be different game" between the clergy of these two churches? Thankyou. J.A.Mathers.

It's a very old game. The difference in dates is largely attributable to the fact that the Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian to calculate the date of Easter. There's not much significance regarding an actual full moon (presumably over Jerusalem?): the full moon used in the calculation of Easter's date is a theoretical, "ecclesiastical full moon" rather than an actual physical, visible full moon. There can be one or two days difference between the ecclesiastical and the real full moons. It's just as well there's no link to a full moon on the first Good Friday, since there's no way of knowing that date with certainty, and therefore no way of knowing the moon's phase. - Nunh-huh 13:28, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Um. Yes there is. Good Friday was a Passover. Passover is defined as the first full moon after the vernal equinox. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 15:14, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Since we don't know what year it was, we don't know the date. And again, the full moon is a calculated one rather than an actual one, so there's no way of determining the actual phase of the moon (as observed). - Nunh-huh 15:22, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hm. I'm a little unclear now, I guess. According to Hebrew calendar, during Second Temple times, the beginning of the lunar month was determined by observation. So if indeed Good Friday was a passover seder (I know some traditions disagree), it would have started on the 14th day following that observation (the 15th of the month, in other words), which would be an observed full moon. No? --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 17:08, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, perhaps. The switch from observed to calculated had occurred by the time of Hillel II's calendar reforms in 359 AD, but I don't know precisely when. But my main point, I think, stands: we have to make a lot of assumptions before we can presume to know the phase of the moon on the first Good Friday, so we ought not be too sure about it, and I don't think that the date of Easter is predicated on what that phase was.- Nunh-huh 01:42, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Some Orthodox churches (e.g. the Syriac Orthodox) do use the Gregorian calendar for the date-dependent holidays (e.g. Christmas), but still use the Julian calendar for determining Easter. --BluePlatypus 19:26, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See Easter#Date of Easter, Reform of the date of Easter. AnonMoos 21:20, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There is no direct connection between the Jewish Passover and the various Christian Easters. Easter is not meant to be celebrating Passover, so why should there be any connection? Христос воскресе! JackofOz 01:54, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe you think there shouldn't be, but there has been at various times -- even now, some Eastern Orthodox think that Easter shouldn't fall on or before Passover. AnonMoos 20:54, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yep, that's why I said "no direct connection". The Christian Easter is meant to be celebrating the death and resurrection of Christ. His death just happened to occur on the Jewish Passover. Christians always commemorate his death on a Friday, so even if they were trying to somehow link it with the date of Passover, which changes from year to year and which can occur on any day of the week, there would only be a 1/7 chance of getting it right. Then, when you consider that the Roman Easter date does not usually coincide with Orthodox Easter, the link with Passover becomes even more tenuous. JackofOz 02:06, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Confess to racist and homophobic jokes?

I would like to know whether or not I should tell of jokes of racist, anti-Semitic or homophobic nature at confession. I'm neither racist nor homophobic — quite the contrary in fact — but have made racist and homophobic jokes which are in no way a reflection of my own opinion, just part of role-playing humour with a friend. Surely God cares about what I believe and not about what I may say in outrageous jokes cracked while imitating a neo-Nazi dimwit?

Thank you,

--anon 12:39, 22 April 2006 (UTC).

That would be a matter you would discuss with whomever-it-is that you confess to, rather than here. - Nunh-huh 13:17, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And you have to be very careful about attempting humor while imitating dimwits; observers might well not be able to tell the difference. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 15:08, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Each person crosses the moral/conscience line at different places, so nobody else can tell you whether this should be confessed or not. But if you're not entirely comfortable about these jokes, you've got nothing to lose by confessing, and possibly a lot to gain. Certainly a talk with your confessor would not go astray. JackofOz 01:29, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I once heard a priest suggesting to his congregation that the faithful should even confess such piddling legal infractions as overstaying the parking meter by a few minutes. I also heard a priest saying that many of the deeds of commission or omission we were all brought up to believe were sins, were not sins at all. As with most areas of life, spiritual experts often disagree. Thank God the WP ref desk is here to make Solomonic utterances. JackofOz 01:29, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you already regard your past actions as wrong, then simply endeavor not to repeat them. What can a priest tell you that you haven't already told yourself? Bhumiya (said/done) 04:17, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you harm another, or endorse harm by "repeating" harmful words, then you are, indeed, taking part in evil and endorsing it. The flowers don't make up for the poison of the bella donna, and so the humor doesn't compensate for the hurtfulness, so I'd say that it is something sinful, although not really on the same scale as a sin of will. Let your priest give you counsel on the matter. Geogre 13:09, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I have neither harmed another nor do I endorse harm — quite the contrary; I condemn it. That's why I'm wondering whether or not my words constituted sin, since they don't reflect my beliefs.

--anon 14:40, 23 April 2006 (UTC).

Well, my point is that racist jokes are harmful. Their harm is twofold. First, they can belittle and hurt a person hearing them who belongs to the targeted group. Second, though, they contribute to an atmosphere wherein others think of a group as less than human, less than virtuous. So, even if a Pole, for example, isn't standing there when you tell a Polish joke, the other persons hearing the joke are encouraged to see Poles as less than fully human. It is a harm, therefore, to all of us and to the hearers. However, it's best to talk to your priest and let him (or her) guide you, as participation in the cultural denigration of racist jokes may be a tiny no-no, but your priest can tell you more clearly what your co-religionists think of the matter and guide you to verses of scripture (e.g. Paul telling Christians not to associate with low and lewd company). There can be no harm in consulting an expert in your religion, as opposed to us. Geogre 15:07, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And after confessing, should you try some jokes about yourself "me, anon, am a nun" or a donkey (un âne in french) ? --DLL 22:02, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Shaduf/shadoof chant

I remember reading this was the world's oldest song in Guinness book of records. But nowhere can I find the words. The closest I got was "a three-note intonation". EamonnPKeane 14:19, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Gun chair artwork

I remember hearing about some artwork which was a chair, and a gun pointing at it, which was rigged to go off some time in the next 200 years (I think), and the idea was that people could sit in the chair for a few seconds. What was the piece and who was the artist? --Bonalaw 15:01, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There's this [11], which isn't what you want, but is interesting...

US Civil War

Name of US Quartermaster New York at April 1861 ?

Chester A. Arthur, later 21st President of the United States. --Canley 14:55, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Falon Gong article ?

I can't believe Wikipedia lacks an article on this. Am I just searching under the wrong terms ? If so, we likely need a redirect or two, so others can find our article. StuRat 16:56, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's Falun Gong, and the redirect is now in place. --ByeByeBaby 17:29, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. I tried a Goggle search first, and it did not correct my spelling, and found 9,860 matches, so I took that to mean my spelling was correct. StuRat 17:42, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe you should try Google instead :) --BluePlatypus 19:57, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

LOL, that one got by my spell checker. Maybe I should create a web search site under that name. Mine, however, would have a reverse filter. That is, it would ONLY find the objectionable material. :-) StuRat 20:33, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Captain Scott Presentation Fork

I have a fork inscribed 'national antarctic expedition s.y.morning' It is in a blue leather case inscribed A.M.H.C. on the exterior & CAPt. SCOTTS BRITISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION 1902 on the interior does anyone know why these were issued and if they have any value

It presumably would have been issued in association with the Robert Falcon Scott-led Discovery Expedition, which explored Antarctica from 1901-1904. I have no clue on who the AMHC are, nor why they're handing out forks. I don't know how common such tchochkes are, nor how highly sought by collectors, but it seems to me that it may have some value, and you should probably ask a professional appraiser, particularly if it's a nice piece and in good shape. --ByeByeBaby 17:43, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why is Tintin relatively unknown in USA?

I am a big fan of Herge, Goscinny, Uderzo and Tabary comics (Tintin, Asterix, Lucky Luke, Iznogoud, etc.) for over 25 years, having discovered them as a teenager in India. I am still entertained by them, and I hope I never outgrow them. These works have deep humor, satire, research-backed themes, great values, and so on, in sharp contrast to the mindlessness of Archie comics.

Therefore, I'm very puzzled and curious why these absolutely superb comics never took off in America. They are not even mentioned in American-published compilations of important world comics.

If someone can shed some insight into this imponderable (besides the obvious stereotype of the culturally-challenged American), I'd appreciate it!

Thanks,

Gary

(removed E-mail, see top of the page)

First, are you sure they were released in the US ? If so, perhaps they contain cultural themes more appropriate to India than the US, like say, an arranged marriage, StuRat 20:28, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You're not doing a good job of breaking the stereotype, Stu. - Tintin and Lucky Luke are from Belgium, Asterix is French. And yes, they were released in the USA (as in most of the world). As for why.. I don't know, but there was probably some form of prejudice at the root, perhaps in the form of a publisher who felt that their brand of humor wouldn't sell in the US. (despite selling in the rest of the world), and who therefore didn't market them enough. --BluePlatypus 21:12, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why do you so boldly accuse me of perpetuating a stereotype ? I know of many young couples from India who had arranged marriages. StuRat 21:18, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, I was referring to the "stereotype of the culturally-challenged American", given that you obviously didn't know about these cartoons. (And knowing some Indians who have arranged marriages doesn't justify perpetuating that stereotype, either. I know a Jew who's a communist. That doesn't make it OK to leap to the conclusion "You must be a communist" every time I meet a Jew.) --BluePlatypus 02:12, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I hardly consider it a sign of being "culturally challenged" to be unaware of comics which originated in non-English speaking nations. I pride myself on knowing the works of Van Gogh, Machiavelli, and Beethoven, but feel expecting Americans to also know every aspect of popular culture in every country around the world is a bit excessive. As for arranged marriages in India, I only implied that they exist, which is quite correct, so there is no stereotype there. I believe they are, in fact, quite common. StuRat 19:00, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Your statement makes the following assumptions: 1) Since it's popular in India, it must be from India. (false) 2) Since it's Indian, it must contain uniquely Indian themes (false) 3) Indian themes are not of interest to a US audience. (false). Nobody said you need to know everything about everything, but when you are ignorant on a subject, it's better to hold quiet than to substitute stereotypes for knowlege. --BluePlatypus 19:29, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Some clues can be found in those links you provided. One said "only a handful of his adventures have been published in the English-speaking world", and another mentions how competition from strong comics in the US and Japan reduced their success in those countries. Archie comics are far from the best comics published in the US. I particularly liked the Watchmen series, for example. StuRat 21:28, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict) Part of it is a stylistic issue. Franco-Belgian comics developed at the same time as American comic books and Japanese Manga; each is very popular in their region, and each has their own conventions as far as what a comic character should look like, what sorts of stories and settings to use, how to lay out a page and even how big and long a comic book should be. For an example, compare the drawing styles for these characters, all of which are notable because they posess super strength: Obelix from France, Hulk (comics) from the USA and the Super Saiyan from Japan. The line thickness, level and type of stylization and so on are all very different. I think it's similar to the way Hong Kong cinema and Bollywood can be successful in their own regions, but not in each other's. A Bollywood audience would find a Hong Kong movie too short, with not enough music and dancing, and so on. A Hong Kong audience would probably find most Bollywood movies boring and melodramatic. It's not that one movie industry is better or one audience more cultured, it's just that the two are distinct. --ByeByeBaby 21:32, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Comparing those 3 comics, I see the French one is hand drawn in a rather basic manner, with very little shading, for example, while the US one appears to use extensive computer animation. The French one also appears to be humorous while the US one is menacing. The Japanese comic character is somewhere in between the other two in most respects. StuRat 21:45, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

My public library in upstate New York had several Tintin books and my brother and I read them all in the 1980s. We had some Asterix comics but I don't recall where we got them. I believe some high school French classes used Asterix comics. Шизомби 02:40, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict)I grew up with Tintin and Asterix. I think it is a generational thing though. My parents had me relatively late so their friends had kids in the late 70s/early 80s. I was introduced to them through that connection. Neither of these comics has the level of violence or monster appeal that currently popular American comics do. It's unfortunate they aren't more popular. I certainly think they are on a higher level than the current Marvel fare.—WAvegetarian•_{_{CONTRIBUTIONS}}^{^TALK}• ^{^EMAIL}• 02:44, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

One problem with the Asterix comics is that it contains many lingual jokes, as well as many jokes commenting on both contemporary and ancient culture. The first will almost certainly lose out in translations, and the second may not get across if your knowledge of either european culture or ancient roman culture is relatively limited. SanderJK 12:03, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The translators of Asterix have tried to deal with the first issue by introducing new lingual jokes. For instance, the dog Idéfix, a pun on idée fixe is translated to English using an entirely different pun as Dogmatix. Much depends on the skill of translators, an underrated class, in how well literature crosses boundaries. Notinasnaid 12:13, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Marketing (or lack of) is one component at the root of the answer (as suggested by BluePlatypus above). The apparent lack of marketing must not be misunderstood with 'weak' or 'deficient' marketing however. One has to first look at the overall context. In the post-WWII, French speaking Europe had three things working for them: 1. an upsurge of creativity; 2. strong printing and distribution capabilities; 3: a global audience for their creations. French was proportionally a much wider spoken language then than today. Having those fun comics distributed in dozens of nations rapidly created a demand for translated versions, thus giving them a truly global penetration. With, understandably, the exception of the USA. At that same period, the Americans had the very same three things working for them: creativity, capabilities, and audience. In effect, the American market was already quite well served with their own creations. To penetrate this market, the West Europeen editors would have had to make large investments to compete. And what would have been their chances? As pointed out by ByeByeBaby above, the Europeen productions were also facing high cultural barriers. Ultimately, the business decision they made was to focus their marketing resources and expand where they were already strong.--JLdesAlpins 12:33, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How to add a name on the list of disputed convictions category?

When I try to edit the article, the list is not editable, or I don't know how to have access to the list.

I am trying to add the name of Hank Skinner with the following link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Skinner

Thank you for your help. Sincerely yours

user Adumoul

You need to add the proper template at the bottom of that article to add the article to that category. Go to a page of someone else in that list, edit the page, and look for the template you need to copy. StuRat 22:00, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, it is by adding the category link to the guy's article itself that his name appears in the category. Not the opposite ... the registering method is clear once you've tried.

So edit Hank, write category:disputed (or the real name of the category) between [[]]s and save. The category will be listed ; then go have a look to (or refresh) the disputed category article. --DLL 21:53, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

April 23

Broken arrow

I've been listening to a lot of old Neil Young songs lately, and have been puzzled by the symbolism of his song "Broken Arrow". What, if anything, is the significance of an American Indian warrior standing with a broken arrow? Is it Young's own allegory, or is there some piece of native American tradition or symbology involved? Grutness...wha? 00:13, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Blackfoot used a broken arrow to symbolize that they would not fight anymore. Perhaps that is the same meaning in Neil Young's song. I wouldn't claim a symbolism for one nation of Native Americans applies to all of them. --Kainaw ^(talk) 00:18, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In the US military, a "broken arrow" alert means the (possibly) accidental release of a nuclear weapon. I don't know what Neil Young's symbolism is, so I can't tell you if his songs have anything to do with that. User:Zoe|^(talk) 04:33, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"al habna minoret"

Can anyone find pictures or description or location of the "al habna minoret"? This minoret is somewhere in Iraq.

Firstly, it'a Minaret, which might help with your search. Secondly, Google doesn't report any links for Al Habna minaret, and very few for Al Habna. Why do you want pictures of this minaret in particular? Is it notable for some reason? Some context might give us a hand, since you may have the name wrong. --ByeByeBaby 06:41, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ambassadors from Guatemala in 1974-75

How would I find the name of any Guatemalans who were appointed as ambassador to another Latin American country in 1974 or 1975? I'd appreciate any ideas or leads. Thanks! --LibraChick

History of Jews of Beltsy Moldova in the 19th century

Can anyone please tell me where I can find information on the history of the Jewish community of Beltsy (Bessarabia) Moldova in the 19th century and in particular concerning the group who came from there to Eretz Israel towards the end of the 19th century? Thank you.

Try asking at the Romanian Special Interest Group at the JewishGen website. -- Mwalcoff 07:56, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. I have done as you suggested.

Translation English / hebrew

please translate this santences to hebrew "Dig your tombs"

please translate this santences to hebrew "Leave Our land"

Why should we? It's off topic for the "Humanities" section, and it sounds like you want to use it to threaten and harass Israelis... AnonMoos 21:00, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Also, digging a tomb is definitely not the best way to leave a land. --DLL 21:45, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wouldn't one dig a grave and construct a tomb? User:Zoe|^(talk) 22:38, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Dig your tombs" can roughly be translated as: "Ein li beitzim"

"Leave our land" can roughly be translated as: "Ha-ima sheli zona"Loomis51 22:55, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

My knowledge of Hebrew isn't what it once was, but I don't think those are correct. At any rate, they're in the Latin alphabet, so it'd take a little while for Israelis to understand what they mean anyway... zafiroblue05 | Talk 03:46, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Loomis51 is yanking the legs a little, but if you want Hebrew alphabet transcriptions, here they are: אין לי ביצים and האמא שלי זונה !! AnonMoos 01:25, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, now I can read it - the "translations" really mean "I don't have any balls" and "My mom's a whore." ;) It's only fair to let you know. zafiroblue05 | Talk 03:46, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks Anon, I still can't figure out how to get my computer to produce Hebrew characters. In any case, I hope the questioner got this. Although I strongly disagree with anyone who would want to harass Israelis, since Israel is a democracy and is devoted to such a fundamental freedom as freedom of speech, I believe that s/he has every right to make these statements. Should any Israelis mock you for displaying these messages by laughing hysterically, I strongly suggest you stick your guns and tell them that they're hypocrites for laughing at another human being for expressing these beliefs. Peace and strength be with you, or as they say in Hebrew: Gey kaken afen yam. Loomis51 01:47, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Re Hebrew characters on computer - same answer as for the Cyrillic characters we discussed on the Language page. Cheers. JackofOz 13:47, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Play: Same Time Next Year

I saw this play in Birmingham UK (at the rep) in the 70's

I want to know who played the leading roles?

Sorry, I don't know who played the leading roles, but I believe this play was staged in 1976 if that helps to narrow it down. --Canley 03:16, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The "rep" would be the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, I suppose? Are you sure you saw it there? Because the Birmingham Festival Theatre staged the play in 1976. I suggest you send them an e-mail. Lupo 09:33, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

main imports and exports of Spain

for a project i am trying to find the main imports and exports of spain

According to the CIA Factbook, Spain's primary exports are machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, and medicines. Its primary imports are machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring and medical control instruments. The page also lists main agricultural products if you want to break "exported foodstuffs" down further. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 13:21, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

To that I would add that tourism is generally considered an "export" by economists, despite the fact that it's hard to conceptualize it as such. Think of it this way: Foreigners take their money, and instead of importing and buying a Spanish product, they bring their money to Spain and spend it there, in return for the opportunity to spend some time in exploring an interesting foreign country. Economically speaking, tourism has the identical effect as exporting a product. I'm also quite sure that the tourism industry is rather significant in Spain. Loomis51 23:29, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Family tree for Dame Nellie Melba

I am searching for a family tree for Dame Nellie Melba as I would like to confirm the existence of a female cousin of hers with the surname Thompson who would have been a young woman in the 1920's and who would have lived in either Scotand or England at the time. Can anyone help? Thanks all information or a family tree much appreciated. Helena

There is some geneological information about Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell) at this website: The Peerage, but not much more than her father's name (David Mitchell) and her husband's family. There is a mention of a Scottish cousin, Charles Robbie, here, and another, Alice Walker, here, and a third, Ellen Mitchell, here. --Canley 03:14, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Nellie Melba	David Mitchell	William Mitchell	[[{{{8}}}]]
			[[{{{9}}}]]
		Ann Fraser	[[{{{10}}}]]
			[[{{{11}}}]]
	Isabella Ann Dow	James Foote Dow	[[{{{12}}}]]
			[[{{{13}}}]]
		Jane Taylor	[[{{{14}}}]]
			[[{{{15}}}]]

Yaqui tribe

Could someone please give a good description of the Yaqui culture? (food, clothing, homes, art and crafts, etc.)

The article Yaqui gives some helpful information and the links at the bottom give you whatever else you would need to know (need to do a little surfing though). schyler 21:10, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

CIA World Factbook

I want to find the information that would be in The CIA World Factbook about the former Soviet Union at its height (what would that be?). The site itself doesn't have a choice for USSR or Soviet Union (I even tried CCCP). THanks. schyler 21:36, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This page has World Factbooks going back to 1989. -- Mwalcoff 00:53, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dreams

Lately I've been having amazingly realistic dreams about my father and our family's old home. I live on my own but visit my father once per week. More than once, I've woken up from a dream only to find myself in another dream - in our old home, with my father at my bedside. This feels incredibly realistic to me. Only when I remind myself that my father isn't supposed to be here, and neither of us are supposed to be at our old home, do I really wake up into reality. Is this normal? Why is this happening? I hope I don't sound like I'm going insane. JIP | Talk 21:39, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

My flatmate recently had similar dreams. He would awaken, only to find that he was still dreaming a dream, from which he would then awaken. Are any other people having strange dreams? Could someone please go and check for strange unrecorded islands somewhere in the vicinity of 49° 51' S, 128° 34' W? --Dr. Zarkov 05:54, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I've been having very weird dreams lately. But as for that location arising from the deep, as they say in Canada - "O RLY, eh?" Grutness...wha? 10:01, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Freedom" Indices

I'm doing a rather lengthy, complex and in-depth thesis on the subject of Canadian constitutional rights, both pre and post the introduction of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms of 1982. I'm wondering if there exists one, or preferably several (because one alone can be biased) "Freedom" indices, ranking each country of the world by the effective fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of religion, freedom of the press, fundamental elements of due process in the criminal justice system etc... according to the level of de facto freedom enjoyed by its citizenry. I'm wondering if anyone out there can provide me with links to such indices. Right now I can think of Amnesty International and the UN as perhaps keeping such indices, but it can be quite difficult to navigate their websites. Plus, I'd rather have as many souces as possible. I would appreciate any help I can get. Loomis51 22:43, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Another source would be Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index]. (also reproduced in the article). And there's a whole List of indices of freedom article too. --BluePlatypus 23:36, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The best known rankings are those of Freedom House. -- Mwalcoff 00:52, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Fund for Peace has a Failed States index which may be of some interest; it's got a few factors like "security apparatus operates as a state within a state" that track low levels of freedom. It's only for 75 countries at the rough end of the scale; India, China, Malaysia, Mexico at the good end, all the way to Iraq, Sudan, DR Congo and Cote D'Ivoire. --ByeByeBaby 00:56, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your effort. However, what I'm really looking for is rankings among free countries. Perhaps I should give you a better undertstanding of my thesis. In the United States there is a written Bill of Rights. In the UK, the entire constitution is unwritten. Canada is a bit of a hybrid. We only put in place a written Charter of Rights in 1982. Plus there's the notwithstanding clause, which allows the legislature to overrule the courts in certain matters concerning fundamental rights. I won't bore you with any more details. Suffice it to say that the thesis of my argument is that whether fundamental rights are written into a constitution (as in the US) or not (as in the UK) is inconsequential. What's of ultimate importance is the de facto recognition, reverence and devotion to these rights by the electorate and their governmental institutions.

What I was looking for (or hoping for!) was two or three indices indicating that fundamental rights and freedoms are respected on a more or less equal footing in the UK (and pre-Charter Canada) as they are in the US, indicating that putting down rights in a formal document, though it may have strong psychological advantages, is ultimately irrelevant.

Also, I know (most of) you are intelligent and may have many opinions on the matter. I just want to say, and I hope I'm not being rude, is that my position is very settled on the matter. What I'm asking for is if any of you are familiar with any "ranking indices" comparing free countries, especially the US, the UK and Canada, on how well they fare when it comes to actually respecting these basic rights. Thanks again! Loomis51 01:31, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

So your opinion is settled, and your conclusion is drawn, and now you're looking for justifications for it? That's a deplorable and dishonest way of doing research. You're not going to get a high mark if you're not prepared to challenge your preconceptions. At least, you shouldn't. --BluePlatypus 07:15, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not trying to justify my preconceptions. I've spent a great deal of time studying and analyzing respect for human rights in all three countries. I know for example, that capital punishment is not considered a violation of human rights in the US, but is in Canada and the UK. I know that slavery was tolerated under the American Bill of Rights for close to a century, but was abolished in the UK and never even existed in Canada. I'm not looking for a justification for my preconceptions and I'm fully prepared to change my conclusion should it be proven to be wrong.

Perhaps you misunderstood what I meant when I said that my opinion was very settled on the matter. I've done extensive raw or primary research to form my opinion. Without that research I couldn't have any opinion at all. I live in Canada, have spent a great deal of time in the US and have visited the UK on several occasions. I've witnessed and researched how, and to what degree, for example, in all three countries, the state respects due process, or, as another example, how the state places restraints on the power of the police. I only said that my opinion was settled on the matter after doing this extensive research.

I believe you've completely misunderstood (or maybe I miscommunicated) my point when I said that I wasn't interested in enaging in a debate on the matter. From my experience at the Wikipedia Reference desk, it seems that whenever a question is asked, rather than sticking to the question, a debate seems to develop and everybody seems to want to throw in their two cents about their opinion. I merely wished to state that I wasn't interested in engaging in a debate, or requesting a poll of wikipedians as to their thoughts on the matter (which, by the way, would be an extremely unscientific way to gauge an opinion.)

My thesis is nearly finished, and it just occurred to me that there may be secondary sources of "ranking indices" that neatly describe or sum up what the literature and all my previous research already indicates. So no, I'm not trying to justify a preconception by "shopping" for secondary sources. My argument is complete without them. I already know, if I had access to these sources, that their conclusions would agree with mine. In fact, from the few souces provided, I now have actual proof that their conclusions agree with mine. If for some unlikely reason they didn't, I would surely rethink my position. I just wanted to make it clear that the point of my question was not to engage in a lengthy debate, but to simply ask how I can access to this sort of information. Loomis51 11:11, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It would be hard to objectively rank countries like the US, UK and Canada by how free they are. For example, American landowners have more "freedom" to do what they want with their land, while in Britain, people have a limited "right to ramble" on other people's property. Which country is more "free" in that regard? Depends on how you look at it. On the other hand, comparing any of those countries to North Korea is far more clear-cut. -- Mwalcoff 23:06, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Baby Boomers

Approximately how many Baby Boomers are in the USA today? How many of these Baby Boomers are "single" (never married, widowed, divorced)? Thank you for you assistance.

This page of census estimates should provide the info you need. -- Mwalcoff 00:59, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

April 24

Roman Mythology

I cannot figure out which three MAJOR gods the Romans worshiped before they came into contact with the Greek culture.

What do you mean? Arguably, they were always in contact with the Greeks, as they were in contact with the Etruscans, and the Greek pantheon had spread via trade pretty early. Geogre 02:30, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Iuppiter, Mars, and Quirinus. Chl 13:12, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

COMMUNICATION DIFFERENCES IN NIGERIA

I 'm trying to find information about the personal space or comfort zones on people in Nigeria. In some countries people kiss on each cheek when greeting one another. In some countries people hug to say hello or good bye. In some countries people bow to greet. How do people in Nigeria feel about these customs. What are some of Nigerias communication customs. How do they feel about invasion of personal space?

The apartment in the movie "The Island"

Hey all,

After I watched the 2005 movie "The Island", I have been obsessed with trying to find out more about the props and locations in the movie. I have already found out a lot about the yact they used in the movie called the Wallypower 118, and now I am trying to find out more about the in-movie apartment of the character Ewan McGregor plays.

If you watch the movie, the apartment is VERY cool with a very modern design. I was wondering if anyone knew more about where that scene was shot, or perhaps could tell me more about that particular style of design for homes and apartments. Does it tend to be very expensive over traditional building? Is it difficult to find a contractor to build something like this? I am in love with this kind of modern design and would like to someday build a home very similar. Any information is helpful!

Thanks!

--129.120.80.27 01:09, 24 April 2006 (UTC) thank you[reply]

IMDb is your friend: [12]. Grutness...wha? 10:05, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

what are sharks . how do they live

pls explaine this title

thank youu.

--Haishma 03:43, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

See Shark. --jpgordon ∇∆∇∆ 04:34, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Immigration of Persian people to Iran

Hey, I was just wondering, which part of Europe did alot of persians come from? Just to feed my own curiousity, because I know that there are alot of persians in Iran who are part European, but I'm not sure which part of Europe. I looked everywhere, but couldn't find the answer anywhere. Thanks a bunch!

I would take a guess and say from Greece and the Macedonia area because of Alexander the Great --Jcw69 10:36, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, most ethnic Persians (And therefore, most Iranians) in Iran are descended from Indo-Europeans who migrated to Iran milleniums ago from the Caucaus Mountains. That would be why Iranians speak an Indo-European language. -Anonymous Edit in

DIY Nuclear Weapons

Why did PM Thatcher buy nuclear weapons from the US? Why couldn't the UK MoD have made their own? -Username132 (talk) 05:45, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They tried. See Blue Streak missile#Cancellation. I think the problem was not making bombs that work, but making accurate and reliable methods of delivery. Notinasnaid 12:49, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think the main problem was the cost of developing the whole nuclear bombs + delivery system, that is R&D, manufacturing & infrastructure. In the short-term (the next few elections) it was cheaper just to buy them from the Americans. AllanHainey 13:20, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

identify the ballet music from this Kids in the Hall sketch

I want to identify the ballet music that's playing in the ballet sketch from season 1 episode 1 of the Kids in the Hall (see List of Kids in the Hall episodes). It's not in the credits. Anyone have the show and can identify? Or do I have to do an audio capture and upload? -lethe ^{talk +} 06:55, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've done the audio capture. here (458K mp3). Any help? -lethe ^{talk +} 07:24, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's from Swan Lake, by Tchaikovsky. This movement is the Allegro moderato from "Danses des cygnes". --Cadaeib 20:18, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. -lethe ^{talk +} 22:23, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You're welcome. Beautiful music, isn't it? --Cadaeib 00:48, 25 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Absolutely. -lethe ^{talk +} 01:24, 25 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Boy Scouts in Japan

Do you have any information about the formation of the Boy Scouts in Japan, specifically related to the contributions made by Clarence Brazeal?

Old LP of children's songs about cars

When I was a boy in early 70s England, I had an LP of songs all about cars. They were songs for children. I think one of the featured cars was a Vitesse, but I can't remember any of the others. Nor can I remember the title of the LP. All I remember is that on the cover of the LP, the title was spelt out in letters formed by various cars.

Does anyone else remember the LP? Can you give me any more details? I'd love to track down a copy. --Richardrj 14:38, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Calendar

I need to find a calendar of official days / months...breast cancer awareness month, administrative assistance day, etc. Suggestions?

land

Did you ever hear of a Jewish Acre. Not the town, but the size of land?

Maybe this article: Ancient Hebrew units of measurement can help you. --E ivind ^t ^@^c 00:38, 25 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Name?

Does anybody know what these are called:

File:Dingsbums.jpg

HarryCane 17:56, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The generic name is Pin Art. I'm sure some companies give it fancy names. --Kainaw ^(talk) 19:38, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Conservatives in America

When I see Ann Coulter et al, I seriously wonder 'what are these people thinking'. I can't read her, since she's such a shrill blood spitting ranter who comes across as psychosed. Is there a sane, calm, logical explanation of why conservatives think what they do that I can read somewhere?

Have you tried our Conservatism article series, especially American conservatism and Neoconservatism, as well as our aticles on Left-Right politics and Republican Party (United States), or articles concerning the issues that often divide them, such as Free trade controversy, Abortion debate, Gun politics in the United States, and Same-sex marriage? Though I doubt that any of them will be able to explain what motivates Ann Coulter to say what she does. The answer to that probably lies in the non-existent controversy as a source of income article. --Aramգուտանգ 19:11, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

you might also consider [[13]] and [[14]]in trying to gain some insight. this may also be helpful: [[15]]

i had the same question when reading/watching the likes of al franken and michael moore.

The Great Snake, USA

Do you know where the Great Snake is located in the USA? This is a hill figure, a carving, similar to Nazca Lines in Peru, Giant in Cerne Abbas, UK and White Horse carvings in UK. ^^^^

Serpent Mound? AnonMoos 21:45, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Cass County Mo

what are the car repossession laws? case laws legal repossession city made people give back car , cannot order to give property back without a court order in civil matters. punitive damages apply

Lyrics to song about Dixie Dean and Pongo Waring

I'm trying to find the lyrics to a song about footballers Dixie Dean and Pongo Waring. I think it starts "when the ball was centered and when the whistle blew".

Whilst I primarily would like the words to the song I'd also be interested in any history about the song. I don't think it was sung at football matches as I don't think these two every actually played a match together.

I thank you very much in advance for any help you can give.

Probably a long shot, but if there are any websites relating to Tranmere Rovers history, they might be your best bet. Pongo seems to have taken over as star player from Deans as star player at the club. Grutness...wha? 03:28, 25 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

1984

Why exactly in the book 1984 are the proles, who make up most of Ocenia, not controlled as much as the Party members. I know they are seen as lower class, but wouldn't it occur to at least one of the Inner Party members as it does to the main character, who is an Outer Party member, that the proles could overthrow the government and that it would make more sense to control everyone equally? And was the Party planning on making everyone speak Newspeak, or only Party members? Also, would the government in Brave New World be considered more successful than the one in 1984, seeing as though they still have different classes of people, everyone is controlled equally? For example, in 1984 only the proles can use drugs while in Brave New World, soma is handed out to everyone. Another difference is, in 1984, anyone against the government is killed. In Brave New World, there are fewer people against the government, and those who are are sent to live on faraway islands.

I haven't even read 1984, but I'm of course very familiar with its theme. I may be wrong, but it seems almost certain that the "Proles" is Orwellian for the Proletariat. Loomis51 23:14, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, but why would the Party or Thought Police not control them as much as they control the Party memebers. It says in the book that the proles make up 85% of the population. Wouldn't they want everybody to be either complete control or like the society in Brave New World if they wanted no one to be against the Party, or even have any reason to be against the Party?

Does the Party have enough to control all of the the proles especially as it is fighting overseas? Orwell mentioned the average working-man's indifference to politics is several of his essays and the Road to Wigan Pier. The party obviously has parrallels with the Nazi or Communist parties which greatly influenced whole countries but did not make everyone members. There is an inner, outer and non-party structure just as there is an a-list, b-list...z-list to current ruling parties. Even society designed for equality needs hierachy. Newspeak is probably designed partly as a prestige dialect, speakright, thinkright getahead. Perhaps the party knows that producing utterly loyal party drones saps the drones energy, are you working hard if you are crimethinking.

As to which is more successful Orwellopia or Huxleyopia, why do you want to know are you trying to decide which too institute? In Brave New World cracks seem, to be appearing in the well organised society whereas Ingsoc seems to know how to deal with cracks. MeltBanana 00:46, 25 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I read that book, and I thought that this flaw, which you bring up, was one of the reasons why it was kinda stupid. A brief glance at history will show you that you cannot keep control of your fascist government if you don't control the populace. Controlling minor governmental bureaucrats suffices to maintain control of the government? Garbage. -lethe ^{talk +} 01:27, 25 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

the proles are controled it is just hard to notice. the party does not allow them to gain any form of wealth whatsoever, thus making it extremely difficult to move up or revolt. the proles will always be the lower class because they almost dont know anything better.

PPP

When I went through the quality of life index, one column is Material wellbeing (GDP per person, at PPP in $). What does PPP stand for?

"Purchasing Power Parity" (money relative to what it can buy in ordinary commonly-used goods, rather than according to exchange rates). AnonMoos 22:41, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Intelligence/ Smartness

Is there any concrete factors to define someone is smart or not? Is intelligence inherent or can be gained?

See intelligence and IQ for a start. Is there some reason this question is asked practically every week? --Kainaw ^(talk) 22:29, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Stocks and shares

I heard there are some people who make a living buying stocks when they're low and selling them when they're high. If the money they make selling them is greater than the money they lose buying them, they get some free money. Where does all that money come from exactly? Jonathan ^talk File:Canada flag 300.png 22:16, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It comes from the people who bought high and sold low. It is just like trading baseball cards. The value of a card/stock is simply what someone else will pay for it. The catch with stocks is that the prices are controlled so you don't have to shop around for a buyer/seller. You just go through your agent and you buy/sell at the current market rate.

I just realized that I could have made this a shorter answer by just saying day traders. --Kainaw ^(talk) 22:31, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No Kainaw, your explanation is a lot better. Actually, all that was necessary was your first sentence. "It comes from people who bought high and sold low" That sums it up perfectly. I checked the day traders article and its extremely poor. It's pretty one sided actually, and seems to make the assertion that if you're smart enough you can make a tonne of money at it. Unfortunately 99.99999% of day traders aren't smart enough, and many have lost fortunes. For the vast majority of people, day trading is only slightly less risky (and slightly more socially impressive) than going to a casino with your life savings and trying to "beat the system".Loomis51 23:09, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Help with the Dervish Article

Cutting Themselves with Swords without Bloodshed

We definitely need to include pictures of dervishes piercing themselves with skewers and cutting themselves with swords. File:Dervish.jpgPatchouli 23:50, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

April 25

Kissing

When, how and by whom was kissing 'invented'? The idea as a whole is quite odd when you think about it. What motive did the person have to touch lips to the other? The same goes for many common things such as hand shakes, winking and waves. Any insight to this would be greatly appreciated.

References to kissing (both platonic and as an expression of love) exist throughout written history. I have seen examples in early Chinese, Indian, and Germanic texts. I would be rather surprised if kissing wasn't in early texts of all cultures on Earth. Even cultures where kissing is evil will have it written that people should not kiss. --Kainaw ^(talk) 01:46, 25 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Almost certainly its far older than that. Kissing in some form or another is found in several primate species - though not in the full flowering of the art as seen among humans. Grutness...wha? 03:31, 25 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Da Vinci's mechanical drum blueprints

My son is interested in attemptint to build a replica of Da Vinci's mechanical drum. I know that at least one museum has created a replica. We are looking for blueprints or plans for actually building this machine. Do you have any suggestions about where to find such information? I tried searching within wikipedia but only found basic information about DaVinci. Thank you for your help. It is very much appreciated.--71.224.33.24 01:49, 25 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

[16] this?

might find it in [17]. click on "sketches by leo.."

here's a list of some of his manuscripts: [18]

maybe one of these professors will forward it to you? http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/MFA/Israel%20beyond%20the%20conflict/Leonardo%20Da%20Vinci-s%20Inventions%20on%20View

question

What is a eloheem? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Lovetolearn2006 (talk • contribs) .

Do you mean elohim? —Keenan Pepper 02:57, 25 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]